THE 


WEDGE  OF  GOLD. 


C.  C. 


GOODWIN, 


EDITOR   DAILY   TRIBUNE. 


1893. 

TRIBUNE  JOB  PRINTING  COMPANY, 
SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH. 


<rx^ 


Entered  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  Year  1893,  by 

THE  LEONARD  PUBLISHING  CO. 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


nsl 


CONTKNTS 


- 


I.     THE  MINERAL  KINGDOM 7 

II.     INDICATIONS u 

III.  MAKING  MONEY  AT   $4  PER  DAY 32 

IV.  SMILES  AND  TEARS 37- 

V.     THE  VOYAGE 45 

VI.     BONANZAS ...     55, 

VII.     A  DINNER  PARTY 64 

VIII.     WAYS  THAT  ARE  DARK 80 

IX.     How  MINERS  ARE  CAUGHT 86 

X.     ENCHANTMENT 90 

XI.     GOING  TO  EPSOM  DOWNS 98 

XII.     WESTMINSTER  ABBEY 108 

XIII.  Two  KINDS  of  SORROW 112 

XIV.  TEARS  AND  ORANGE  FLOWERS 135 

XV.     SINISTER  SUCCESSES 149 

XVI.     A  TRIP  TO  AFRICA !54 

XVII.     ON  THEIR  TRAVELS , 159 

XVIII.     THE  SOUL  IN  CLAY 171 

XIX.     THE  WEDGE  OF  GOLD 180 

XX.     THE  OCCIDENT  AND  THE  ORIENT  MEET 194 

XXI.     SHIPPING  A  QUARTZ  MILL 202 

XXII.     A  LOST  TRAIL  DISCOVERED 207 

XXIII.  BACK  TO  ENGLAND 212 

XXIV.  DEALING  IN  MINING  SHARES 221 

XXV.     A  WEDGE  OF  GOLD  INDEED 226 

XXVI.     FEVER  VISIONS 243 

XXVII.  SELLING  STOCK  SHORT 255 

XXVIII.  CONVALESCENT 258 

XXIX.     SPRINGING  A  TRAP 265, 

XXX.     GRAND  OPERA 273 

XXXI.     MARRIAGE  BELLS 276 

XXXII.  FRUITION  .                                                                 ,   280 


M209379 


THE  WEDGE  OF  GOLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    MINERAL    KINGDOM. 

The  splendor  of  the  world  is  due  to  mining  and  to 
the  perfectness  of  man's  ability  to  work  the  minerals 
which  the  mines  supply.  The  fields  of  the  world 
give  men  food  ;  with  food  furnished,  a  few  souls  turn 
to  the  contemplation  of  higher  things  ;  but  no  grand 
civilization  ever  came  to  an  agricultural  people  until 
their  intellects  were  quickened  by  something  beyond 
their  usual  occupation. 

How  man  first  emerged  from  utter  barbarism  is  a 
story  that  is  lost,  but  when  history  first  began  to 
pick  up  the  threads  of  events  and  to  weave  them 
into  a  record,  the  loom  upon  which  the  record  was 
woven  was  made  of  gold.  One  of  the  rivers  that 
flowed  through  Eden  also  "compassed  the  whole 
land  of  Havilah,  where  there  is  gold  ;  and  the  gold 
of  that  land  is  good." 

"  Tubal  Cain  was  an  instructor  of  every  artificer  in 
brass  and  iron."  Abraham  and  Jacob  bought  fields 
with  money,  and  when  Pharaoh  sought  to  make 
Joseph  next  in  power  to  himself,  he  took  the  ring 
from  his  finger  and  put  it  upon  Joseph's  finger;  and 
he  put  a  chain  of  gold  about  Joseph's  neck.  Thus 
the  grandchildren  of  Adam,  in  Holy  Writ,  were  artif 
icers  in  brass  and  iron,  and  when  civilization  in 


8  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Egypt  began  to  make  an  impression  upon  the  world, 
its  sovereigns  had  already  discovered  the  omnipo 
tence  of  gold. 

Assyria,  that  came  next  to  be  the  concernment  of 
mankind,  had  men  who  could  perfectly  fuse  gold  and 
glass,  and  their  work  is  still  an  object  of  wonder  to 
the  world.  Their  queens  wore  raiment  which  was 
woven  from  threads  of  gold. 

The  splendor  of  the  Hebrew  nation  culminated 
when  the  roof  of  their  great  temple  was  laid  with 
beaten  gold,  and  when  all  the  magnificent  furnishings 
within  the  temple  were  wrought  from  gold  and  silver 
and  brass. 

The  invincible  Greeks  had  chariots  and  javelins  of 
iron,  helmets  of  gold  and  brass,  and  now  as  their 
tombs  are  rifled  there  is  found  beside  where  their 
bones  went  back  to  dust  the  metal  implements  with 
which  they  wrought,  and  the  imperishable  coins  with 
which  they  carried  on  their  commerce. 

The  power  of  Rome  came  when  her  artisans 
learned  how  to  fashion  the  short  sword,  and  her 
soldiers  learned  how  to  wield  it,  and  her  splendor 
came  when,  through  conquest,  she  brought  under 
her  dominion  the  gold  fields  of  Spain  and  Asia,  and 
learned  the  power  which  money  carries  with  it.  Her 
civilization  began  to  recede  when  the  money  supply 
began  to  fall  off,  and  when  it  became  too  precious 
for  the  masses  to  possess  it,  then  the  race  degener 
ated  until  the  men  were  no  longer  fit  to  be  soldiers, 
the  women  lost  the  grace  to  become  the  mothers  of 
soldiers,  and  darkness  settled  upon  Europe. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 


England  remained  little  more  than  a  rendezvous 
for  wild  tribes  until  her  people  learned  mining  and 
began  the  study  of  how  to  reduce  the  metals  which 
the  mines  supplied,  and  her  advancement  since  can 
be  rated  exactly  by  the  progress  she  has  made  in 
bringing  the  metals  into  effective  forms  and  com 
binations.  When  first  the  rude  Saxon  acquired  the 
art  to  mend  the  broken  links  in  a  knight's  armor, 
and  how  to  temper  one  of  the  old-fashioned  two- 
handed  swords,  it  was  possible  to  comprehend,  that 
from  that  germ  would  expand  the  brains  that  would 
by  and  by  construct  a  steel  ship  or  bridge  ;  when  the 
first  rude  spindle  was  fashioned,  all  the  commence 
ment  necessary  to  create  and  work  the  world's  looms 
was  made. 

Out  of  these  accomplishments,  commerce  was 
born  ;  foreign  commerce  required  ships,  and  so  tha 
ships  were  supplied  ;  with  commerce  was  developed 
a  financial  system,  and  soon  it  was  discovered  that 
after  all  the  chiefest  power  of  the  world  was  money ; 
that  the.  swiftest  way  to  win  money  was  to  perfect 
machinery  so  that  out  of  raw  material  forms  of 
beauty  and  of  use  could  be  wrought,  and  thus  in 
regular  chain  the  majesty  of  England  expanded  from 
the  first  day  that  an  Englishman  was  able  to  convert 
from  the  dull  iron  ore  something  which  the  world 
would  want,  until  ships  laden  with  her  wares  reached 
all  the  world's  ports,  and  to  barbarous  lands  she 
became  an  iron  nation  more  terrible  than  the  first 
iron  nation. 


10  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  world's  highest  civilization  does  not  come 
from  the  fruitful  fields,  but  from  the  darkness  of  the 
deep  mines.  Power  and  independence  come  with  the 
digging  and  working  of  the  baser  metals ;  full  civ 
ilization  waits  upon  the  production  of  enough  of  the 
royal  metals  to  give  to  the  people  wealth  in  a  form 
that  enables  them  to  command  the  best  attainable 
talent  and  forces  to  serve  them,  and  enough  of  leisure 
to  enable  them  to  put  forward  their  best  efforts. 

Below  the  surface  of  the  story  which  makes  this 
book  is  a  deeper  story  of  what  may  be  performed  by 
brave  hearts  when  they  leave  the  fruitful  fields 
behind  them  and  turn  with  all  their  hearts  to  woo 
the  desert  that  turns  her  forbidding  face  to  them  at 
their  coming,  and  holds,  closely  hidden  within  her 
sere  breast,  her  inestimable  treasures. 


CHAPTER   II. 

INDICATIONS. 

"  What  think  you  of  it,  Jack  ?  " 

"  It  is  growing  soft  in  the  drift,  Jim  ;  the  stringers 
of  ore  are  growing  stronger  and  giving  promise  of 
concentrating  soon." 

"So  it  strikes  me,"  was  the  response,  "and  when 
Uncle  Jimmie  Fair  was  down  here  an  hour  ago,  I 
put  two  things  together,  and  they  have  kept  me 
thinking  ever  since." 

"  And  what  were  the  two  things,  Jim  ?  " 

"Why,  Jack,  did  you  hear  him  sigh  as  he  moved 
the  candle  along  the  face  of  the  drift,  and  hear  him 
say,  *  You  are  doing  beautifully,  my  sons,  beauti 
fully  ;  I  never  had  better  men,'  and  then  sighed 
again,  and  added,  '  I  fear  it's  no  use  ;  I  fear  we  shall 
have  to  drop  the  work  soon  ?  '  That  was  one  of  the 
things.  The  other  was  the  light  in  his  eyes  when  he 
examined  the  face  of  the  drift.  If  I  were  a  gam 
bler,  Jack,  I  would  'copper'  what  he  said  and  wager 
all  I  had  on  the  twinkle  of  his  eyes." 

"  It  looks  good  in  the  drift,  surely;  and,  Jim,  if  we 

break  into  an  ore  body  any  time,  it  will  not   surprise 

» 
me. 

"  Nor  me,  either,  Jack;  and  if  we  strike  ore  here,  it 
ought  to  be  good,  because,  as  I  reckon  it,  since  we 
left  the  Gould  and  Curry  shaft,  we  have  drifted  out 


1 1 


12  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

of  the  G.  &  C.  ground,  clear  through  the  Best  and 
Belcher,  and  some  distance  into  the  Consolidated 
Virginia,  and  by  the  trend  of  the  lode,  if  we  could 
find  an  ore  body  here,  it  would  be  in  regular  course 
from  the  Spanish  and  Ophir  croppings." 

"  How  long  have  you  worked  here,  and  how  much 
have  you  saved,  Jack  ?  " 

"  It  is  three  years  and  a  month  since  I  went  to 
work  in  the  Belcher,"  was  the  reply  ;  "  I  made  $400 
in  Crown  Point  stocks,  and  I  have  saved  altogether 
$2,800  and  odd." 

"  I  beat  you  by  a  year's  work,  Jack,  and  I  have,  I 
believe,  $3,300  or  $3,400  in  the  bank.  Suppose  we 
try  a  little  gamble  in  stocks.  If  we  could  get  an  ore 
body  here,  this  stock  would  double  in  a  week,  and  it 
will  not  fall  very  much  lower  if  we  do  not  find  any 
thing." 

"  All  right,  Jim,  if  you  say  so.  Meet  me  to-morrow 
at  eleven  o'clock  at  the  California  Bank,  and  we  will 
put  in  and  buy  a  few  shares." 

"  Agreed,"  was  the  answer  ;  "but  our  twenty  min 
utes  are  up  and  we  must  go.  But,  Jack,  mum  must 
be  the  word." 

"  Mum  goes,"  said  Jack. 

It  was  a  queer  spot  where  this  talk  was  held.  It 
was  by  the  air-pipe  in  the  drift  which  was  run  from 
the  i,2OO-foot  level  of  the  Gould  and  Curry  shaft  on 
the  Comstock  ledge  in  Nevada,  north  toward  where 
the  great  bonanza  was  found  in  the  Consolidated 
Virginia  Mine.  In  the  face  of  the  drift  the  tempera 
ture  was  1 20  degrees,  and  miners  could  work  for 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  13 

only  forty  minutes  and  then  had  to  retire  to  the  air 
pipe  to  cool  off.  It  was  while  resting  at  the  air-pipe 
that  these  men,  James  Sedgwick  and  John  Browning, 
talked. 

They  were  stripped  from  the  waist  up  ;  all  their 
clothing  consisted  of  canvas  pantaloons  held  up  by  a 
belt,  and  miners'  shoes  ;  they  each  had  a  little  band 
around  the  head  in  which  was  fastened  a  miner's 
candlestick.  Thus  exposed,  in  the  candle-light,  they 
were  handsome  men.  The  excessive  perspiration 
caused  by  the  heat  of  the  mine  made  their  faces  as 
fair  as  the  faces  of  women,  and  as  they  lounged,  half- 
naked,  carelessly  in  the  drift,  their  muscles  stood  out 
in  knots,  and  in  the  dim  light  of  the  candles,  as  they 
rose  to  return  to  work,  their  movements  were  supple 
and  elastic  as  those  of  caged  lions.  The  one  who 
answered  to  the  name  of  Browning  was  shorter  than 
the  other  by  an  inch,  but  deeper-chested  ;  the  candle 
light  showed  that  his  eyes  were  blue,  and  his  mus 
tache  and  short  curly  hair  were  of  chestnut  color. 
The  other  was  a  little  taller,  but  not  so  compactly 
built,  and  in  the  uncertain  light  his  eyes,  hair  and 
mustache  seemed  to  be  black  ;  but  really  his  eyes 
were  gray  and  his  hair  brown.  Both  were  young, 
perhaps  twenty-seven  or  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
and  both  were  perfect  pictures  of  good  health  and 
good  nature. 

Their  shift  was  from  four  in  the  afternoon  to  mid 
night;  but  when  at  midnight  they  went  back  through 
the  drift  to  the  shaft  to  be  hoisted  to  the  surface,  the 
nioht  foreman  informed  them  that  there  was  some 

o 


14  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

trouble  with  the  cage  ;  that  while  they  could  still  hoist 
rock,  it  was  not  deemed  safe  to  trust  men  on  the  cage, 
and,  accordingly,  some  blankets,  mattresses,  and  sup 
per  had  been  sent  down,  and  they  would  have  to 
spend  the  night  in  a  cross-cut  running  from  the 
shaft. 

The  other  miners  growled.  These  two  made  no 
complaint,  but  ate  their  suppers,  then  took  their  beds 
and  spread  them  in  the  cross-cut.  Sedgvvick  and 
Browning  went  farthest  into  the  cross-cut,  made 

o 

their  beds  together,  and  lay  down.  When  they 
knew  by  the  breathing  of  the  miners  nearest  them 
that  they  were  asleep,  in  low  tones  they  began  to 
talk. 

Browning  was  the  first  to  speak.  "  By  Jove,  Jim," 
he  said,  "  that  cage  story  is  too  thin.  It  worked  all 
right  up  to  ten  o'clock,  for  Mackay  and  Fair  both 
came  down  and  spent  a  good  quarter  of  an  hour  in 
the  end  of  the  drift  and  kept  tapping  around  with 
their  hammers.  I  was  mean  enough  to  watch  them 

c> 

on  the  sly  and  saw  them  both  taking  samples.  If 
you  keep  awake,  you  will  see  John  Mackay  down 
here  again  by  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  you  may 
make  up  your  mind  not  to  see  any  more  daylight  for 
three  days  or  a  week  to  come  ;  that  is,  if  the  drift 
keeps  on  improving." 

"  I  believe  it,  Jack,"  said  Sedgwick  ;  "  did  you 
notice  that  the  last  blast  left  nearly  the  whole  face  of 
the  drift  in  ore  ?  Then,  did  you  notice  as  we  met  the 
car  coming  out,  it  had  long  drills  in  it,  and  the  shift 
boss  was  following  it  up  close  ?  No  blasting  will  be 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  15 

done  to-night,  but  the  drillings  will  be  saved  for 
assay,  and  I  tell  you  the  plan  is  that  we  shall  tell  no 
tales  out  of  school.  Believe  me,  that  cage  will  not 
be  safe  again  till  as  much  stock  shall  be  taken  in  as 
is  needed  by  those  in  control." 

"  And  so,"  said  Browning,  "  when  we  get  to  the 
surface  our  little  money  will  not  buy  enough  stock  to 
make  it  any  object." 

"  I  have  been  thinking  of  that,"  said  Sedgwick, 
"  and  it  makes  me  hot,  for  all  day  I  have  been  dream 
ing  of  doubling  my  money." 

"  I  have  a  notion,"  said  Browning,  "  to  try  to  work 
my  way  out  on  the  ladders. 

"  That  will  not  work,"  replied  Sedgwick  ;  "  I 
looked,  and  all  the  lower  ladders  have  been  taken 
down." 

Then  a.  long  silence  followed,  until  at  last  Sedg 
wick  spoke  again.  "  I  have  it,  Jack,"  said  he.  Light 
ing  his  candle,  he  groped  around  in  the  cross-cut, 
and  found  a  splinter  from  a  lagging.  Fishing  out  a 
stump  of  a  pencil  from  the  pocket  of  his  pantaloons, 
he  said,  "  Where  is  your  money,  Browning  ?" 

"  In  the  California  Bank,"  he  replied. 

"All  right,"  was  the  response.  Then  on  the 
splinter  he  wrote  for  a  moment,  and  then  said,  "  How 
is  this  ?  "  and  in  a  whisper  read  :  "  California  Bank, 
Please  pay  to  John  W.  Mackay  whatever  funds  may 
be  to  our  respective  credits." 

"What  is  your  idea,  Jim?"  asked  Browning. 

"  I  mean  to  lay  for    Mackay,  and  when  he   comes 


l6  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

down  ask  him,  quietly,  to  read  the  writing  when  he 
gets  up  into  daylight." 

"But  what  will  he  think  we  want?"  asked 
Browning. 

44  He  will  know  mighty  quick,"  said  Sedgwick  ;  "he 
knows  where  we  work ;  he  will  understand  that  we 
know  what  we  see,  and  that  while  we  do  not  intend  to 
give  away  the  information,  at  the  same  time  we 
do  not  want  to  '  get  left  out  in  the  cold  '  on  this 
deal." 

44  What  think  you  he  will  do  ?  "  asked  Browning. 

J  o 

44  If  he  believes  it  safe,  and  the  right  kink  is  on 
him,  he  will  draw  our  money  and  buy  us  some 
stock,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  He  made  his  money  that 
way,  and  it  is  not  long  since  he  was  a  timberman  on 
this  same  lode." 

44  Why  not  word  it  differently,  and  ask  him  squarely 
to  buy  the  stock  ?"  asked  Browning. 

"Why,  Jack,"  was  the  reply,  "that  would  be  a 
dead  give-away.  He  would  never  present  such  an 
order  at  the  bank.  It  would  be  a  notice  to  every 
man  in  the  bank  and  every  friend  of  every  man  in  the 
bank,  and  that  would  mean  everybody  in  town,  that 
the  miners  who  were  kept  down  in  the  deeps  were 
trying  to  buy  the  stock  of  the  mine.  I  would  rather 
risk  it  this  way." 

44  All  right,  everything  goes,"  said  Browning,  and 
both  signed  the  order. 

o 

Then  they  talked  for  a  long  time.  They  had 
known  each  other  slightly  for  a  couple  of  years,  hav 
ing  met  first  in  the  Belcher  lower  levels,  and  being 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  I  7 

thrown  together  in  work  on  the  face  of  the  drift  from 
the  G.  &  C.  shaft,  they  had,  during  the  previous  few 
days,  each  found  that  the  other  was  a  good  and 
bright  man,  and  had  grown  more  and  more  intimate, 
and  a  warm  friendship  had  sprung  up  between  them. 
As  they  lay  down  again,  Browning  said  to  Sedg- 
wick,  "  How  did  you  come  to  be  here,  Jim 

"  Fate  arranged  it,  I  guess,"  was  the  reply.  4<  You 
see,  my  home  was  in  Ohio,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Miami.  My  father  had  a  big  farm — 400  acres — but 
there  were  two  boys  older  than  myself,  and  they 
needed  the  land.  I  took  to  books  naturally,  and  the 
plan  was  to  give  me  an  education,  and  then  add  a 
learned  profession,  or  set  me  up  in  some  little  busi 
ness.  So  I  went  to  school,  and  after  awhile  was 
.sent  to  Oberlin  College.  Queer  old  place,  that  ! 
Great  place  for  praying  and  for  teaching  the  uni 
versal  brotherhood  of  man  !  The  result,  I  used  to 
think,  was  that  a  colored  man  commanded  a  premium 
over  a  white  man  there.  I  worried  the  thing  through 
for  three  years  and  a  half.  There  was  a  young 

mulatto  student  in  the   school  named    Deerino-,  who 

c>  * 

was  a  oreat  deal  too    biof    for    his    clothes.      He  was 

o  o 

inclined  to  force  himself  into  places  where  he  was 
not  wanted,  and  at  anything  like  the  manifestation 
of  a  desire  to  dispense  with  his  society,  he  grew  saucy 
in  a  moment.  I  did  not  mind  him,  but  he  was  vin 
egar  and  brimstone  to  a  young  student  from  Ten 
nessee,  a  slight,  weakly  lad,  but  as  brave  a  little  chap 
as  you  ever  saw,  named  Thorne.  Well,  one  day, 
for  some  impertinence,  Thorne  struck  him.  Deer- 


l8  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ing  was  an  athlete  ;  he  weighed  twenty  pounds  more 
than  I  did,  fifty  more  than  Thorne,  I  guess;  he  was 
quick  as  lightning,  was  most  handy  with  his  props, 
and  in  an  instant  he  smashed  poor  Thome's  face 
with  a  blow  which  knocked  him  half  senseless. 

"  I  sprang  to  Thorne,  at  the  same  time  telling 
Deering  it  was  a  cowardly  act  for  one  like  him  to 
strike  a  little  fellow  like  Thorne.  He  answered  some 
thing  to  the  effect  that  for  a  trifle  he  would  smash 
me  a  good  deal  worse  than  he  had  Thorne,  and— 
well,  in  minute  more  there  were  lively  times  in  that 
neighborhood. 

"It  was  a  tough  scrap.  It  was  out  on  the  green  ; 
the  students  gathered  around  us,  and  while  some 
cried  out  to  stop  us,  others  shouted,  '  Fair  play  ! '  and 
so  we  were  not  interfered  with.  I  remember  saying 
to  myself,  *  If  I  win,  it  must  be  a  triumph  of  race  and 
mind  over  matter;'  but,  Jack,  that  was  mighty  lively 
matter.  We  both  had  been  rowing  and  practicing  in 
the  gymnasium  ;  we  were  both  as  hard  as  iron.  Deer- 
ing  was  as  supple  as  a  boa-constrictor,  and  had  a  fist 
like  a  twelve-pound  hammer.  Later,  the  boys  told 
me  the  fight  lasted  twenty  minutes.  The  last  I  saw 
was  Deering  knocked  out  on  the  ground,  and  then 
my  eyes  closed,  and  the  boys  led  me  to  my  room. 
They  swathed  my  eyes  with  raw  beefsteaks  and  raw 
oysters,  rubbed  me  down,  and  put  me  to  bed.  It  was 
ten  days  before  I  got  out ;  it  was  two  weeks  before 
Deering  did.  Then  there  was  an  investigation.  It  was 

o  o 

shown  that  I  took  up  a  fight  that  Thorne  commenced; 
that  Thorne  had  £one  for  a  <nm  in  case  I  should 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1Q 

get  the  worst  of  it.  So  Deering  was  reinstated,  and 
Thorne  and  myself  expelled.  At  the  time  I  had  a 
silver  watch  and  four  dollars  in  money.  I  sold  the 
watch  for  fourteen  dollars.  I  wrote  the  facts  to  my 
father,  and  told  him  I  was  going  West,  for  he  is  a 
straight-laced  Presbyterian ;  I  knew  he  would  feel 
eternally  disgraced  by  my  expulsion,  and  I  did  not 
want  to  hear  his  reproaches.  Thorne  wanted  to  give 
me  money,  but  I  told  him  I  had  plenty. 

"  I  worked  my  way  to  Texas,  and  stopped  one 
night  at  the  house  of  a  big  cattle  man  named  Thomas 
Jordan.  I  had  just  $1.50  left.  He  worked  out  of  me 
my  history,  and  when  I  explained  why  I  was  expelled 
from  school,  he  laughed  until  he  cried,  and  said  : 
'And  yo'  licked  the  coon  !'  and  then  went  off  again 
into  a  mighty  fit  of  laughter. 

"He  was  a  man  about  thirty  years  of  age,  spare 
built,  but  wiry  as  an  Indian.  He  had  black  hair  and 
eyes ;  he  was  not  educated,  but  was  naturally  a  bright 
man;  was  brave  as  a  lion;  could  ride  like  a 
Comanche ;  was  a  splendid  shot,  and  had  been  West; 
took  up  a  gold  mine  in  Arizona,  opened  it,  and  sold 
it  three  years  before  I  met  him  for  $25,000,  and  with 
that  bought  the  ranch  and  stock.  He  was  originally 
from  Tennessee  ;  when  a  boy  was  in  the  Confederate 
army  ;  had  been  knocked  about  until  he  was  a  per 
fect  man  of  affairs,  and  the  heart  within  him  was 
simply  just  royal. 

"  Next  morning,  as  we  went  out  from  breakfast,  his 
vaqueros  were  trying  to  ride  a  vicious  horse.  He  was 
a  big  buckskin  stallion,  six  years  old,  and  strong  and 


2O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

fierce  as  a  grizzly.  The  horse  tossed  three  of  them, 
one  after  the  other,  out  of  the  saddle ;  neither  one 
asted  a  minute  on  his  curved  back.  I  was  watching 
the  performance  when  Jordan  came  up  to  me  and, 
laughing,  again  said  :  '  But  yo'  licked  the  coon  !' 

"  I  said,  '  Yes,  but  that  was  not  much  to  brag 
about.  ' 

"  '  Yo'  licked  the  coon,  but  was  afeerd  to  meet  the 
governor,  eh  ?  '  he  said. 

"  I  answered,  '  That  is  about  the  size  of  it.  ' 

4<  '  And  yo'  did  not  go  home  ? '  he  said. 

"'  No,'  I  replied. 

4t '  Did  not  send  for  any  money  ?  ' 

"  '  No.' 

41 '  How  much  did  yo'  have?' 

*' '  Four  dollars,  and  a  watch  which  I  sold  for  four 
teen  dollars.' 

"  '  How  much  have  yo'  left  ?' 

41 '  I  believe,  $1.50.' 

"  '  What  are  yo'  going  to  do  ?' 

"  '  Going  to  work.' 

"'Wat  at?' 

"  '  Anything  I  can  get  to  do. 

"'Will  yo'  work  for  me?' 

"  '  Yes.' 

"  '  Know  anything  about  herding  and  driving  cat 
tle  ?' 

u<  No, but  I  can  learn  it.' 

"  'All  right,  what  about  wages  ?  ' 

"  'Anything  you  like.' 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  21 

"  'All  right/  said  Jordan,  '  I  will  have  the  boys  fix 
yo'  up  a  gentle  mustang  and  give  yo'  a  show/ 

"  I  had  overheard  the  cowboys  the  previous  even- 
ng  telling  about  a  '  gentle  broncho  '  that  they  had 
given  a  '  tenderfoot/  and  how  the  tenderfoot  was 
'jolted/  I  reflected  that  I  was  in  Texas  and  might 
just  as  well  establish  myself  at  once.  When  a  boy, 
I  could  ride  anything  on  the  farm  or  in  the  township. 
So  I  said  : 

"  '  Mr.  Jordan,  let  me  try  the  buckskin/ 

"'What!'  said  Jordan,  'would  yo'  mount  that 
wild  beast  ?  He's  a  devil.  My  best  riders  cannot 
sit  him.  Indeed,  he  has  tossed  half  the  cowboys  in 
Texas/ 

"  '  Let  me  try  him/  said  I. 

"  '  All  right'  said  Jordan,  '  come  on/ 

"  We  climbed  into  the  big  corral.  One  of  the 
boys  threw  a  rope  upon  the  horse,  drew  him  up  to 
the  center  post,  blinded  him,  and  said  to  me  : 

"  '  Young  feller  !  If  you  ride  him,  you'll  be  a  good 
one,  shore  'nough/ 

"  I  took  off  my  coat,  vest  and  suspenders,  tied  a 
heavy  handkerchief  around  my  stomach,  fixed  the 
saddle,  sprang  upon  the  horse,  and  the  blind  was 
drawn  off  at  the  same  moment.  Then  for  ten  min 
utes  I  had  a  game  as  lively  as  I  had  experienced  with 
the  coon.  How  he  did  jolt  me  !  But  I  sat  him.  Then, 
when  all  his  other  tricks  had  failed,  he  started  tn  a 
run  for  the  center  post  of  the  corral,  with  the  inten 
tion  of  rakine  me  off.  But  it  was  his  side  that  struck 

o 

the  post ;  my  knee  was   on   top    of    the    saddle,  and 


22  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

when  the  rebound  knocked  him  away  from  the  post 
it  was  not  a  second  until  I  was  back  in  the  saddle; 
and  then  I  assumed  the  offensive  and  drove  the 
rowels  into  him.  Between  the  shock  of  the  blow  and 
the  surprise  of  the  rowels,  he  gave  up,  made  a  feeble 
jump  or  two,  stopped  and  stood  trembling-. 

"  I  dismounted,  and  the  cowboys  threw  up  their 
hats  and  cheered  the  '  tenderfoot/  Then  I  took 
down  the  reins  of  the  hackamore  (the  Mexican 
Jaquema),  bent  the  brute's  head  around,  and  tied 
him  in  a  half  circle  to  his  own  tail.  Then,  borrowing 
a  cowboy's  whip,  I  tapped  him  gently  with  it,  and 
kept  him  turning  and  tumbling  until  he  was  covered 
with  foam,  and  I  saw  he  was  completely  subdued. 
Then  I  untied  the  rope,  gave  him  his  head,  and  then 
sprang  again  (without  a  blind  this  time)  into  the  sad 
dle.  He  moved  off  in  a  walk  ;  then  I  trotted  him, 
then  put  him  in  a  gallop,  and  after  circling  the  corral 
two  or  three  times,  reined  him  up  to  the  cowboys, 
stopped  him,  and  dismounted. 

"  '  No  wonder  he  licked  the  coon  ! '  said  Jordan. 

"  And  one  of  the  cowboys  standing  near  said, 
'  Bet  y'r  boots  ! ' 

"  I  went  to  work  and  was  a  cowboy  for  a  year,  and 
it  was  a  happy  year,  for  I  had  no  trouble  and  any 
number  of  friends.  I  could  ride  and  shoot  with  any 
of  them,  and  soon  learned  to  throw  a  rope.  My  rid 
ing  the  big  stallion  gave  me  a  mighty  prestige,  for  I 
learned  later  that  many  had  tried  him  and  no  one 
had  kept  the  saddle  for  two  minutes.  He  was  my 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  23 

vaquero    horse,    and   many    a    cowboy   stopped   and 
looked  as  I  rode  by. 

"  I  had  been  with  Jordan  but  a  short  time  when 
one  evening  he  brought  a  book  and  said  : 

"  '  Jim !  look  at  this.  A  preacher-lookin'  chap 
stopped  over  night  har  a  year  ago  and  went  off  in  the 
mornin',  and  forgot  ter  take  it.  See  if  yo'  don't 
think  it's  ther  durndest  stuff  yo'  ever  seen  ! ' 

"  I  looked  at  the  book.  It  was  the  Iliad,  Pope's 
translation. 

"  'Why,  Jordan,'  I  said,  *  this  is  a  wonderful  book.' 
Then  I  briefly  explained  what  the  great  epic  was, 
who  the  Greeks  and  who  the  Trojans  were,  the  cause 
of  the  war  between  them,  how  nations  fought  in 
those  days,  what  gods  they  worshiped,  and  added, 
4  Let  me  read  you  a  little  of  it.' 

"  '  Why,  in  course,'  said  Jordan.  (  If  yo'  ken  make 
a  blamed  thing  out  er  it,  we'd  all  like  to  har  it  ; 
wouldn't  we,  boys  ? ' 

"  They  all  assented.  I  was  just  out  of  school  and 
read  pretty  well. 

"  So  I  opened  the  volume  at  random  and  it  happened 
to  be  in  Book  XVI.,  where  Pelides  consents  that  Patro- 
clus  shall  put  on  his  ownarmor  and  lead  his  Myrmidons 
into  the  fight,  where  Achilles  arouses  and  sets  in 
array  his  terrible  warriors,  has  the  steeds  yoked  and 
prays  Dodonian  Jove  to  give  to  his  friend  the  victory, 
and  then  to  grant  him  safe  return.  After  reading 
ten  minutes,  I  closed  the  book,  and  asked  Jordan  if 
I  should  read  anymore. 

"  '  Sarten,'  he  said.     '  That  war  fine.     It  are  like 


24  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

that  mornin'  at  Murfreesborough  when  all  thar 
bugles  war  callin'  'nd  ther  big  guns  war  beginnin'  ter 
roar.' 

"  Then  I  opened  at  the  beginning  and  read  right 
along  for  an  hour.  All  the  company  were  greatly 
excited,  declaring  'it  war  fine.' 

"  I  read  to  them  every  evening  the  winter  through, 
read  the  Iliad  entire,  and  in  the  meantime  Jordan 
had  sent  to  Galveston  for  more  books,  be^incr  me 

oo        o 

to  select  them,  and  declaring  he  would  fill  the  house 

o 

with  them  if  I  would  only  '  steer  his  buyin'  so  as  not 
by  his  purchases  '  ter  make  a  holy  show '  of  him 
self. 

"  When  finally  the  great  annual  round-up  came,  I 
held  my  own  with  the  best  riders,  on  trial  I  could 
draw  and  shoot  with  the  quickest  and  surest  shots, 
and  could  handle  a  rope  fairly  well.  I  enjoyed  the 
life. 

"  Generally  every  one  was  my  friend,  but  there  was 
one  rough  customer,  a  man  named  Turner,  who  did 
not  like  me,  though  I  had  never  done  a  thing  in  the 
world  to  offend  him.  He  made  his  boasts  that  no 
one  had  ever  *  got  away 'with  him  or  ever  would. 
He  had  a  tough  record  and  many  people  feared  him, 
for  he  was  a  powerful  man  physically,  and  cruel  in 
all  his  instincts. 

"  One  day  something  was  needed  from  the  station, 
and  I  rode  Buckskin  down  to  get  it.  The  station  was 
a  couple  of  miles  from  Jordan's  house.  Thirty  or 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  25 

forty  cowboys  were  there  on  a  lark,  and  all  had 
been  drinking  a  little. 

"  They  hailed  me  boisterously  and  wanted  me  to 
drink.  I  laughingly  told  them  I  never  drank,  and 
good-naturedly  threatened  to  make  it  hot  for  the 
whole  band  if  they  did  not  behave  themselves.  I  had 
neither  coat  nor  vest  on,  and  they  could  all  see  I  had 
no  weapons  about  me.  They  all  laughed,  for  they 
were  a  jovial,  good-hearted  crowd. 

"  But  just  then  this  rough  Turner  showed  up  and 
said:  'Who  is  threatening  to  make  it  hot  for 
us?' 

"  Half  a  dozen  of  the  boys  explained  that  I  was 
only  joking,  but  Turner  was  bent  on  mischief. 

"  '  He  won't  drink  with  us,  hey  ?  Well,  we'll  drink 
with  him/  he  said,  and  turning  to  me  ordered  me 
to  call  up  the  crowd  and  treat,  or  tell  the  reason 
why. 

"  I  replied  that  one  reason  was  that  Idid  not  very 
often  drink,  and  another  was  that  I  never  drank  on 
compulsion. 

"He  was  frantic  in  a  moment,  and  suddenly  drew 
his  revolver.  I  caught  the  barrel  and  turned  it  up 
just  as  he  fired,  then  took  it  from  him,  handed  it  to 
one  of  the  boys,  and  told  him  to  keep  it  until  Turner 
had  time  to  reflect  on  what  a  fool  he  was  making  of 
himself. 

"  He  was  only  the  more  furious  at  that.  He  sprang 
backward  two  or  three  feet,  then  drawing  a  huge 
knife  made  with  it  a  savage  lunge  at  me.  I  seized 
his  wrist,  and  after  a  brief  struggle  wrenched  the 


26  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

knife  from  his  hand,  but  still  holding  his  wrist  told 
him  that  unless  he  grew  quiet  I  should  have  to  box 
his  ears. 

"  The  boys  laughed  and  jeered  at  this,  which  only 
further  incensed  the  ungovernable  brute,  and  he 
declared  that  he  would  give  $100  for  the  chance  to 
whip  me  in  a  fair  fist  fight. 

"  At  this  I  released  his  wrist  and  told  him  he  should 
be  accommodated.       The   boys  gathered   in    a   ring 
around  us.     Turner  came  at  me  like  a  wild  beast,  but  * 
he  had  no  scientific  use  of  his  hands  and  I  had  had  a 
little  practice. 

"  I  knocked  aside  his  blow  with  my  left,  and  with 
the  open  palm  of  my  right  hand  gave  him  a  sound 
ing  box  on  his  left  ear. 

o 

"  The  cowboys  yelled  with  delight  at  this,  crying, 
4  Turner,  did  you  hear  that  ?' 

"  Turner  rallied  and  made  another  rush  at  me.  This 
time  I  struck  his  blow  aside  with  my  right  hand  and 
boxed  his  right  ear  with  the  palm  of  my  left  hand. 

So  the  business  continued  for  several  seconds.  I 
never  closed  my  hands,  but  just  boxed  him  right  and 
left,  the  boys  fairly  screaming  with  joy,  until  I  finally 
gathered  all  my  strength  and  gave  him  one  resound 
ing  cuff  that  sent  him  full  length  to  grass,  the  most 
abject-looking,  baffled  bully  that  I  ever  saw. 

Seeing  how  completely  whipped  he  was,  I  went  to 
him,  and  taking  him  by  the  arm,  said,  '  Turner,  you 
were  right  about  my  treating  ;  come  in  and  take  a 
drink  with  me.  There's  nothing  like  exercise  to  make 
one  thirsty.' 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2  7 

"  But  he  would  not  drink.  He  arose,  skulked  away, 
got  his  gun  and  knife,  mounted  his  mustang,  and  left 
that  part  of  Texas. 

"Next  day  the  boys  told  Jordan  about  the  scrap,  and 
he  danced  for  joy.  He  at  once  rode  away  to  the  sta 
tion  to  get  all  the  particulars,  and  when  he  returned  at 
night  he  called  me  aside  and  said,  '  Jim,  yo'  is  think- 
in'  of  leavin'  har.  We  couldn't  get  along  at  all  with 
out  yo'.  I  seen  my  lawyer  ter-day  and  told  him  ter 
make  a  deed  o'  half  this  ranch  'nd  stock  ter  Jim  Sedg- 
wick,  and  so  thar  firm  now  war  "  Tom  and  Jim"  er 
41  Jim  and  Tom,"  I  don't  give  er  continental  which.' 

"  Of  course  I  could  not  accept  the  gift,  but  it  took 
me  three  days  to  satisfy  the  great-hearted  man  why 
I  could  not.  I  told  him  I  was  bound  to  go  further 

o 

West,  that  his  heart  had  run  away  with  his  head,  and 
he  yielded  at  last,  but  insisted  that  the  offer  was  a 
'  squar  '  one  and  would  last  always  if  I  ever  came 
back. 

"  When  the  year  was  up  I  had  saved  $2 1 2  at  regular 
cowboy  wages  and  would  accept  no  more,  though 
Jordan  begged  me  to  take  '  sunthun  decent.' 

" 1  came  West,  learned  a  little  of  mining — how  to 
hold  and  hit  a  drill — in  Colorado,  then  took  a  run  up 
into  Montana,  came  down  across  Idaho  and  finally 
reached  this  place.  Liking  the  ways  of  things  here 
I  went  to  work.  I  have  not  missed  a  dozen  shifts  in 
three  years." 

Browning  chuckled  at  the  story,  and  when  Sedg- 
wick  ceased  he  said  : 


28  Mil.    WEDGE    OF    GOED. 

"  Isn't  it  jolly  queer  that  we  have  been  thrown 
together?  My  home  was  in  Devonshire,  England. 
My  step-father  was  a  merchant,  who  finally  became  a 
half  banker  and  half  broker.  When  I  was  a  little 
kid  my  mother  died,  and  my  father  after  a  while  mar 
ried  a  widow  who  had  a  little  daughter  five  years 
younger  than  myself.  My  father  died,  and  my  step 
mother  married  a  man  named  Hamlin. 

''When  I  became  twenty-two  years  old,  my  step-father 
wanted  me  to  marry  this  little  girl.  I  declined,  first, 
because  she  seemed  to  me  a  sister,  and  second,  I  was 
head  and  ears  in  love  with  the  step-daughter  of  the 
village  barrister.  The  girl  was  my  sister's  running 
mate,  so  to  speak,  and  though  I  had  never  said  one 
word  of  love  to  her,  my  heart  was  on  the  lowest  level 
in  the  dust  at  her  feet.  It  was,  by  Jove  ! 

"In  those  days  I  was  a  bit  wild,  I  guess.  I  did  not 
get  out  of  school  with  much  honor.  I  used  to  ride 
steeple-chase  and  hurdle  races  and  dance  all  night. 
Sometimes,  too,  I  had  a  scrap,  and  was  careless  about 
the  money  I  spent.  The  old  barrister — his  name  was 
Jenvie — believed  I  was  the  worst  kid  in  the  United 
Kino-dom.  One  evening  Rosejenvie — her  real  name 
was  Leighton,  she  was  my  glory,  you  know — had  been 
visiting  my  foster-sister,  and  remaining  until  after 
dark,  I  walked  home  with  her.  It  was  a  starlit 
night  in  summer,  and  we  talked  as  we  walked  as 
young  people  do.  The  gate  to  the  path  leading  up 
to  her  house  was  open,  and  I  continued  to  walk  by 
her  side  until  we  were  almost  at  the  door,  when  the 
'Governor'  sprang  up  from  a  bench  on  the  little 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2Q 

lawn,  where  he  had  been  sitting,  and,  rudely  seizing 
his  step-daughter  by  the  arm,  broke  out  with  a  torrent 
of  insulting  reproaches  that  she  should  dare  to  be 
walking  alone  at  night  by  the  side  of  the  most  worth 
less  scapegrace  in  all  England. 

"  The  dear  girl  tried  to  explain  that  my  part  of  the 
affair  was  merely  an  act  of  courtesy,  but  the  old  chap 
was  hot,  and  that  only  made  him  rave  the  worse. 

"  I  stood  it  a  minute,  and  then  said,  '  Never  mind, 
Miss  Rose  !  You  go  within  doors,  please,  and  your 
governor  will  feel  better  when  he  has  time  to  think.' 

"  At  this  he  turned  upon  me,  ordered  me  off  the 
grounds,  and  added  that  if  I  did  not  go  at  once  he 
would  kick  me  over  the  hedge.  Then  I  laughed  and 
said  :  'Oh,  no,  Mr.  Jenvie,  you  certainly  would  not  do 
that.' 

Something  in  my  voice,  I  guess,  vexed  him,  for  he 
sprang  at  me  like  a  Siberian  wolf.  He  was  a  big, 
hearty  fellow,  about  forty  years  old,  and  the  blow  he 
aimed  at  me  would  have  felled  a  shorthorn.  But  I 
knocked  it  aside,  as  he  made  the  rush,  which  swerved 
him  a  little  to  one  side,  and  the  opportunity  was  too 
good.  Bless  my  soul  !  Before  I  thought,  I  planted 
him  a  stinger  on  the  neck,  and  he  went  down  like  a 
felled  ox.  And  he  lay  there  for  fully  a  minute.  The 
beautiful  girl  never  screamed  or  uttered  a  word, 
except,  '  O,  Jack,  I  hope  you  are  not  hurt ! '  She  had 
never  called  me  Jack  before,  and  by  Jove,  it  sounded 
sweeter  to  me  than  a  wedding  march.  The  old  chao 

O  A 

in  a  dazed  way  rose  up  on  his  hands.  I  saw  he  was 
coming  out  of  it,  and  with  a  hasty  '  Good  night,  Miss 


30  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Rose,'  I  got  out  of  the  way.  I  went  home  and  told 
my  governor  the  whole  story,  and  wasn't  he  mad  ! 
Jen  vie  was  his  closest  friend,  you  know,  and  so 
he  ordered  me  to  go  and  apologize  to  the  old  bar 
rister.  I  told  him  flatly  I  would  not.  Then  he 
ordered  me  out  of  the  house,  and,  first  bidding 
mother  and  sister  Grace  good-bye,  I  left.  I  had  four 
pounds  six,  and  with  it  I  went  down  to  an  old  aunt's 
of  mine  in  Cornwall.  After  three  days  there  I  met 
some  miners,  had  a  night  with  them,  which  ended  by 
their  initiating  me  into  their  clan.  Next  morning, 
thinking  it  over,  my  better  self  asserted  itself,  and  the 
whim  took  me  to  learn  the  mining  business. 

"  I  worked  a  year,  and  when  off  shift  I  read  all 
the  books  on  geology  and  mining  that  I  could  find; 
I  found  a  pamphlet  telling  me  all  about  this  lode  and 
its  possibilities.  I  had  worked  steadily  and  had  saved 
money  enough  to  pay  my  way  here  ;  I  came,  and 
went  to  work  the  second  day  after  arriving  on  the 
lode." 

'What  are  your  plans,  Browning?"  asked  Sedg- 
wick. 

"  I  have  no  certain  plans,"  was  the  answer.  "  I 
have  just  lived  on  an  impossible  dream,  you  know, 
of  making  ^5^000,  then  going  back,  and  if  Rose 
Jenvie  is  not  married  to  try  to  steal  her  away.  If  I 
could  make  a  good  bit  of  money  I  would  buy  a  place, 
a  big  tract  of  downs  in  Devonshire.  I  could,  by 
draining  it  and  running  it  my  way,  make  it  double  in 
value  in  three  years." 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  31 

"  And  I,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  have  been  nursing  just 
such  another  dream,  which  is  to  make  $30,000  to  go 
back  and  cancel  the  mortgage  of  $5,000  on  the  old 
home  place,  and  then  to  buy  old  Jasper's  farm  on  the 
hill.  It  is  a  daisy.  It  contains  300  acres  and  is 
worth  $40  an  acre.  If  I  could  do  that,  I  believe  I 
could  reconcile  the  old  gent,  and  make  him  think  I 
was  not  so  mightily  out  of  the  way  after  all  when  I 
fought  at  college  and  ran  away.  But$  30,000 — good 
Lord  !  when  will  a  man  get  $30,000  working  for  $4 
a  day  on  the  Comstock  ? " 

"  It  is  a  close,  hard  game,"  said  Browning.  Then 
there  was  silence,  the  candle  burned  out,  and  in  a 
moment  more  both  miners  were  asleep. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MAKING  MONEY  AT  $4  PER  DAY. 

The  men  awoke  early,  and,  as  Sedgwick  haa  pre 
dicted,  by  six  o'clock,  the  superintendent  of  the 
mine  came  down  and  went  to  the  end  of  the  drift. 
On  his  return  to  the  lower  station  of  the  shaft,  Sedg 
wick  approached  him,  and  holding  out  the  bit  of 
lagging,  said  in  a  low  voice  :  "  Mr.  Mackay,  there 
are  a  few  words  written  on  that.  Will  you  not 
kindly  carry  them  to  the  surface  and  read  them?" 
Mr.  Mackay  took  it  and  put  it  in  the  pocket  of  the 
gray  shirt  which  he  always  wore  in  the  mine,  saying 
jokingly:  "Tobacco  needed  on  your  watch?" 
"  Worse,  even,"  answered  Sedgwick,  and  walked 
away. 

When  the  men  were  allowed  to  go  above  ground, 
five  days  later,  they  found  that  Consolidated  Virginia 
had  jumped  from  $4  to  $n  per  share.  Sedgwick 
and  Browning  went  straight  to  the  bank  and  asked 
how  their  accounts  stood.  They  found  that  $2,800 
from  one  credit,  and  $3,200  from  the  other  had  been 
withdrawn.  They  looked  at  each  other  and  smiled, 
but  said  nothing.  Passing  outside,  they  exchanged 
opinions  and  both  concluded  that  if  Mackay  had 
bought  the  stock  promptly,  it  must  have  doubled- 

already.      But  both  agreed  that  they  would  say  noth- 

32 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  33 

ing ;  rather,  would  let  matters  drift.  So  days  and 
weeks  rolled  by,  until  finally  the  stock  touched  $30 
per  share,  when  one  morning  each  received  a  note  to 
oall  at  the  bank. 

They  went  together,  and  were  informed  that  2,000 
jld)  shares  of  Consolidated  Virginia  had  been 
placed  to  their  credit,  and  that  it  was  at  their  discre 
tion  to  realize  upon  it,  or  permit  it  to  remain  longer. 
The  news  fairly  took  their  breath  away. 

"  How  about  making  $30,000  at  $4  per  day,  Jim  ?" 
said  Browning. 

"  How  about  ,£5,000,  the  old  barrister's  step 
daughter,  and  the  downs  in  Devonshire,  Jack?"  said 
Sedgwick. 

They  went  to  their  room  in  the  lodging  house  to 
talk  over  what  was  best  to  do. 

"When  we  sell,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  I  am  going  to 
Ohio." 

"And  I  to  old  England,"  said  Browning. 

"And  how  can  we  give  any  expression  of  our 
gratitude  to  John  Mackay  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  Let  us  go  down  and  tender  him  half  our  stock," 
said  Browning. 

"  A  good  thought,"  said  Sedgwick.  So  down  to 
the  Consolidated  Virginia  office  they  went  at  once. 
They  gained  an  instant  interview  with  Mr.  Mackay, 
and,  thanking  him  warmly,  told  him  they  had  thought 
it  over,  and  determined  that  he  was  entitled  to  half 
their  shares. 

"  That's  clever  of  you,  boys,"  said   Mackay,   "  but 


34  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

that  is  too  big  a  commission.  How  much  did  you 
say  the  order  on  the  splinter  had  brought  you  ? " 

Sedgwick  replied  that  they  had  2,000  shares,  and 
that  the  stock  was  selling  at  $30  on  a  rising  market. 

"Well,"  answered  Mackay,  "that  will  be  $10  for 
one,  will  it  not  ?" 

They  answered,  "  Yes." 

The  Bonanza  King  thought  for  a  moment,  and 
then  said  :  "  It  is  this  way,  boys.  I  have  been  pick 
ing  up  a  few  shares  of  the  stock  on  my  own  account 
lately,  and  do  not  need  any  ready  money  at  present, 
but  there  are  a  good  many  sick  and  bruised  miners 
down  in  the  hospital.  If,  when  you  sell,  you  can  see 
your  way  clear  to  send  them  down  a  few  dollars,  that 
will  do  more  good  than  to  divide  with  me,  for  I  would 
be  liable  to  lose  the  money  any  day  in  these  crazy 
stocks." 

They  thanked  him  with  swimming  eyes  and  broken 
voices,  and  started  to  retire,  when  he  called  them 
back,  and  said :  "  I  bought  that  stock  because  I 
noticed  that  you  were  not  just  like  some  of  the  others 
down  in  the.  mine,  and  I  knew  if  the  money  should  be 
lost  you  would  neither  of  you  reproach  me.  But  I 
called  you  back  to  tell  you  that  while  I  do  not  think 
there  is  any  hurry  about  selling  your  stocks,  dealing 
in  mining  shares  is  a  risky  business,  as  a  rule, 
especially  when  you  have  nothing  but  a  guess  to  go 
on  ;  and  I  do  not  believe  I  would,  if  in  your  places, 
take  that  up  for  a  business." 

Then  some  one  else  came  in,  and  the  miners 
retired 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  35 

They  determined  not  to  sell  just  then,  and  both 
went  back  to  work  at  4  in  the  afternoon  of  that  clay. 

The  young  men  continued  their  daily  toil.  After 
the  stock  reached  $35  per  share,  it  hung  at  that  figure 
for  a  long  time,  but  they  felt  no  uneasiness.  They 
saw  the  hurry  of  the  work  in  opening  the  Consolidated 
Virginia  and  the  C.  &  C.  shafts  ;  they  saw  a  new 
great  quartz  mill  being  erected,  but  they  saw  some 
thing  else  which  pleased  them  much  more,  which  was 
that  the  more  the  great  ore  body  was  sunk  and 
drifted  upon,  the  bigger  it  grew.  In  the  early  winter 
of  1874-5,  the  stock  began  to  climb  up.  It  jumped 
to  $80,  then  $85  ;  then,  almost  in  a  day,  to  $i  15,  and 
so  on  up  to  $220.  The  strain  on  the  minds  of  the 
two  young  miners  was  very  great,  but  they  held  on. 
There  was  another  little  lull,  and  then  towards  spring 
it  started  up  again. 

When  it  reached  $480,  Browning  said  to  Sedgwick: 
"  Bless  my  soul,  Jim,  1  have  not  slept  for  three  nights. 
I  have  been  thinking  that  hundreds  of  people  have 
been  waiting  for  the  stock  to  touch  $500,  and  when 
it  does,  they  will  unload  and  break  it  down.  Had 
we  not  better  sell  ?  It  will  give  us  as  much  money 


as  we  can  manage. 

o 


"  I  guess  you  are  right,  Jack"  said  Sedgwick.  "  I 
believe  it  will  still  go  a  good  deal  higher,  but  if  it  does, 
let  those  who  buy  our  stocks  make  it.  As  you  said, 
it  will  bring  us  as  much  money  as  we  can  manage. 
It  takes  a  brave  man  to  sell  on  a  rising  market. 
Let  us  be  brave." 

So  they  gave  the  order  for  the  sale  of  the   stock, 


36  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

but  that  day  it  jumped  to  $520,  and  when  the  returns 
were  made,  they  found  to  their  credit,  $1,040,000. 
The  stock  touched  $900  per  share  a  few  days  later. 

The  result  well-nigh  paralyzed  them.  "  At  $4  per 
day,  this  is  not  bad,  Browning,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  This  secures  the  hill  farm  of  old  Jasper — three 
hundred  acres  at  forty  dollars  per  acre — does  it  not, 
Sedgwick  ?  "  said  Browning. 

They  ordered  $10,000  to  be  placed  to  the  credit 
of  the  hospitals  and  bought  exchange  on  New  York 
and  London  for  $1,000,000.  The  rest  they  took 
with  them  in  money. 

In  dividing  there  was  a  little  dispute.  Browning 
insisted  that  he  was  entitled  to  only  forty-six  and 
two-thirds  per  cent,  of  the  amount,  as  his  money  was 
as  seven  to  eight  of  Jim's. 

"  Why  will  you  bother  me  with  those  vulgar  frac 
tions,  Browning?  Try  to  be  a  gentleman,"  said 
Sedgwick.  "  We  share  alike  on  this  business, 
remember  that ;  and  say  what  a  country  this  is  to  get 
rich  in  at  four  dollars  a  day  !  " 

So  it  was  settled.  Their  friends  were  told  they 
had  made  a  little  stake,  and  were  going  home ;  the 
good-byes  were  spoken,  and  the  young  men  turned 
•their  faces  eastward. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SMILES  AND    TEARS. 

While  riding  through  Nevada,  Browning,  after  a 
long  look  from  the  car  window,  said  : 

"  By  Jove,  Jim,  but  is  not  this  a  desolate  region? 
It  is  as  though  when  the  rocky  foundation  had  been 
laid,  there  was  no  more  material  to  furnish  this  part 
of  the  world  with,  and  the  work  stopped." 

"Yes,  Jack,"  was  Sedgwick's  answer.  "  I  knew  an 
old  man  once.  He  was  very  aged  and  most  decrepit. 
His  face  was  but  a  mass  of  wrinkles  ;  his  back  was 
bent ;  he  always  wore  a  frown  on  his  face,  and  every 
relative  he  had  wished  that  he  was  dead.  But  his 
bank  account  was  a  mighty  one  ;  he  had  given  grand 
homes  and  plenty  of  money  to  each  of  his  six  chil 
dren  ;  he  still  possessed  a  fortune  so  large  that  his 
neighbors  could  not  estimate  it.  I  never  look  out 
upon  the  face  of  Nevada  that  I  do  not  think  of  that 
old  man, 

"  The  fairest  structures  in  San  Francisco  were  built 
of  the  treasures  taken  from  Nevada  hills;  clear 
across  the  continent,  in  every  great  city  are  beauti 
ful  blocks  which  are  but  Nevada  gold  and  silver  con 
verted  into  stone  and  iron  and  glass  ;  in  every  State 
are  fair  homes  which  were  bought  or  redeemed  with 
the  money  obtained  here  in  the  desert.  Beyond 
that,  the  money  already  supplied  from  Nevada 

.'17 


38  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

mines  has  changed  the  calculations  of  commerce,  and 
made  itself  a  ruling  factor  in  prices  ;  it  has  given  our 
nation  a  new  standing  among  the  nations  of  the 
world  ;  because  of  it,  the  lands  are  worth  more 
money  even  in  the  Miami  Valley  where  I  was  born  ; 
because  of  it,  better  wages  are  paid  to  laborers 
throughout  our  republic  ;  it  has  been  a  factor  of 
good,  a  blessing  to  civilization  ;  and  yet  Eastern  peo 
ple  revile  Nevada  and  look  upon  it  as  did  the  rela 
tives  of  the  old  man  I  was  telling  you  of,  because  it 
is  wrinkled  and  sere  and  always  wears  a  frowning 
face." 

As  Sedgwick  and  Browning  neared  Chicago,  the 
former  began  to  grow  restless,  and  finally  said  : 

"  Jack,  old  friend,  you  must  go  home  with  me.  It 
is  something  I  dread  more  than  riding  mustangs  or 
fighting  cowboys.  It  is  more  than  five  years  since  I 
went  away,  and  it  will  be  just  worse  than  a  fire  in  a 
mine  to  face." 

Browning  agreed  that  a  few  days  more  or  less 
would  not  count.  "  Because,"  he  said,  "  if  Rose  Jenvie 
is  still  Rose  Jenvie,  it  will  not  much  matter;  if  Rose 
Jenvie  is  not  Rose  Jenvie,  then,  by  Jove,  every  minute 
of  delay  in  knowing  that  fact  is  good.  Besides,  you 
know,  I  want  to  see  that  three-hundred-acre  farm  of 
old  Jasper's  on  the  hill  which  you  are  to  buy." 

They  remained  a  few  hours  only  in  Chicago,  and 
took  the  evening  train  for  the  valley  of  the  Miami. 
The  next  morning,  about  seven  o'clock,  they  left  the 
cars  at  a  little  village  station,  and  started  on  foot  for 
the  old  home  of  Sedgwick,  a  mile  away. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  39 

"  Browning,"  said  Sedgwick,  "it  was  mighty  kind 
of  you  to  come  with  me.  I  ran  bare-footed  over  this 
road  every  summer  day  of  my  boyhood.  In  that  old 
school-house  I  could  show  you  notches  which  I  cut 
in  the  tables  and  benches,  and  it  seems  now  as 
though  I  was  choking."  They  came  to  the  old  church 
yard.  "  Hold,  Jack,"  said  Sedgwick,  "let  us  go  in 
here  and  look  to  see  if  any  more  graves  have  been 
added  since  I  went  away." 

They  climbed  the  fence,  and  Sedgwick  led  the  way 
to  a  plot  of  ground  where  there  were  three  head 
stones.  "Thank  God,  there  are  no  new  craves,"  he 

o 

said.  "  This  was  my  sister  ;  this,  my  baby  brother, 
and  this,  my  mother,"  pointing  to  the  names  on  the 
head-stones.  "  Had  my  mother  been  alive,  I  would 
long  ago  have  come  back." 

Then,  with  more  calmness,  he  turned  his  steps 
back  to  the  road,  but  he  was  shaking  in  every  limb 
when  he  opened  the  old  gate  and  walked  up  toward 
the  hous*e.  The  path  was  lined  with  lilacs  in  full 
bloom,  and  a  robin  in  a  tree  near  by  was  calling 
her  mate.  "  The  same  old  lilacs,  the  same  old  red 
breast,  Browning,"  he  said,  with  white  lips. 

He  did  not  stop  to  knock,  but  pushed  the  door 
suddenly  open  and  strode  within.  Walking  up  to  an 
old  man,  who  was  reading  his  Bible,  he  said,  "  Father, 
I  am  sorry  that  I  fought  the  mulatto,  if  it  grieved 
you,  but  the  black  rascal  deserved  it,  all  the  same." 

The  old  man  surveyed  him  wildly  for  a  moment, 
then  broke  completely  down,  and,  wringing  the  young 
man's  hands,  could  only  sob  : 


4O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  Thank  God,  my  son,  whom  I  thought  was  lost,  is 
back  again.  Thank  God!" 

Then  the  brothers  and  their  wives  and  children 
came  in,  and  there  was  such  a  scene  that  Browning 
slipped  out,  seated  himself  on  the  piazza,  and  mop 
ping  his  brow  with  his  kerchief,  said,  "  Bless  my  soul ; 
I  believe  I  will  never  go  home.  There  is  more  real 
enjoyment  at  a  miner's  funeral  in  Virginia  City;  there 
is,  by  Jove. 

But  they  found  him  after  a  little,  and  Sedgwick 
presented  him  to  his  kinfolk  as  his  close  companion, 
and  he  was  welcomed  in  a  way  which  touched  him 
deeply,  and  made  him  conclude  that  the  world  was 
filled  with  good  people. 

Soon  the  news  spread,  and  the  neighbors  began  to 
pour  in,  and  what  a  day  it  was !  What  old  memories 
were  awakened  and  rehearsed  ;  what  every  one  had 
done  ;  who  had  died  ;  who  had  married ;  all  the 
history  of  the  little  place  for  all  the  years. 

Going  home  after  a  long  absence  is  'a  little 
like  what  one  mio-ht  imagine  of  a  ressurrec- 

O  c^ 

tion  from  the  dead.  There  is  exceeding  joy,  but 
mingled  with  it  is  much  of  the  damp  and  chill  of  the 
tomb.  Indeed,  going  home  after  a  long  absence 
"  causes  all  the  burial  places  of  memory  to  give  up 
their  dead,"  and  through  all  the  joy  there  is  an  under 
tone  of  sorrow,  for  all  the  reminders  are  of  the  fact 
that  the  calmest  lives  are  speedily  sweeping  on  ;  that 
there  is  no  halting  in  the  swift  transit  between  birth 
and  death. 

Three  days  passed,  and  notwithstanding  the  enjoy- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  4! 

ment,  Sedgwick  found  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  worrying  the  family.  The  old  mortgage  of 
$5,000  was  not  paid  ;  rather,  it  had  been  doubled  to 
make  a  first  payment  on  a  2OO-acre  farm  adjoining, 
and  with  fitting  up  and  stocking  the  old  place,  and 
with  bad  crops,  the  debts  amounted  altogether  to 
more  than  $20,000.  He  did  not  tell  any  one  of  his 
good  fortune.  He  was  dressed  in  a  plain  business 
suit,  without  a  single  ornament.  The  watch  he 
carried  for  convenience  was  merely  a  cheap  silver 
watch. 

On  the  fourth  day,  Browning  said  to  his  friend  : 
'Jim,  old  pard,  I  must  be  off  to-morrow.  You  have 
had  a  good  visit.  Corne  over  to  England  with  me 
for  a  month,  and  help  me  through  with — Rose  and 
the  old  man." 

"  Agreed,  Jack,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  I  want  to  fix 
up  some  little  things  here,  and  I  do  not  want  to  be 
around  when  the  fixing  shall  be  understood.  It  will 
be  a  good  excuse  to  get  away." 

Then  going  to  a  desk,  he  wrote  a  few  words,  took 
a  bill  of  exchange  for  $100,000  from  his  pocketbook, 
endorsed  it,  making  it  payable  to  his  father,  folded 
the  bill  inside  the  letter,  sealed  it  and  directed  it  to 
his  father  ;  then  putting  the  letter  in  his  pocket,  saicj, 
"  That  will  make  it  all  right." 

At  supper  that  evening  he  informed  the  family 
that  he  was  going  on  the  early  train  with  his  friend 
and  might  be  gone  a  month  or  six  weeks,  after  which 
he  believed  he  would  return,  settle  down  and  become 
steady.  All  tried  to  dissuade  him,  but  Browning 


42  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

helped  him,  telling  the  family  he  needed  his  friend's 
help  on  serious  business  ;  and  so  that  night  the  kin 
dling  was  put  in  the  kitchen  stove,  the  dough  for 
biscuits  for  breakfast  was  set,  the  tea-kettle  filled,  the 
chickens  fixed  for  frying,  and  the  coffee  ground. 

It  was  but  a  little  after  daylight  next  morning 
when,  the  breakfast  over,  they  were  ready  to  start. 
They  shook  hands  all  round,  and  when  it  came  to 
saying  good-bye  to  his  father,  Sedgwick  drew  out  the 
letter,  and  giving  it  to  the  old  man,  said  :  "  Father, 
when  you  hear  the  train  pull  out  of  the  village,  open 
that  letter.  It  contains  a  little  keepsake  for  you 
which  I  picked  up  by  a  scratch  in  Nevada."  And  they 
were  off. 

When  that  letter  was  opened,  and  the  astounding 
figures  on  the  bill  were  read  and  comprehended,  what 
a  time  there  was  at  that  house,  and  how  the  neigh 
bors  came  again  to  see  the  wonderful  paper,  and  how 
it  was  figured  how  many  farms  it  would  buy,  what 
houses  it  would  build  and  furnish,  and  how  the  boy 
who  had  been  expelled  from  school  for  fighting  had 
done  it  all !  What  a  smashing  of  old  theories  it 
made,  and  how  every  wild  boy  in  the  neighborhood 
to  whom  the  evil  example  of  the  bad  Sedgwick  boy 
had  been  held  up  as  an  illustration  of  total  depravity 
and  as  proof  that  nothing  of  good  ever  came  to  a 
youth  that  would  fight  and  get  expelled  from  school, 
rejoiced  !  To  these,  what  a  day  of  exultation  that 
bill  of  exchange  brought  ! 

C>  O 

But  it  was  only  a  day,  before  there  began  to  circu 
late  rumors  that  the  whole  thing  was  but  a  joke;  that 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  43 

the  bill  would  be  repudiated  when  presented  for  pay 
ment,  or  at  most  that  it  was  only  for  $1,000. 

Sedgwick,  pere,  with  his  sons,  lost  no  time  in 
testing  the  matter.  Sedgwick  had  written  in  the 
letter  that  though  the  bill  was  drawn  on  New  York, 
any  bank  in  Cincinnati  would  cash  it.  So  they 
repaired  to  the  city,  and  calling  on  their  lawyer,  asked 
him  to  go  with  them  and  identify  them  at  some  bank, 
as  they  desired  to  get  a  little  check  cashed.  He 
complied. 

The  cashier  looked  at  the  bill  and  asked  in  what 
kind  of  money  the  payment  was  wanted. 

The  old  man  thought  he  would  give  his  neigh 
bors  an  object  lesson,  and  replied  that  he  would  take 
it  in  gold. 

The  cashier  smiled  and  asked  him  how  he  would 
take  it  away. 

The  old  man  said,  "  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  It  will,  in  gold,  weigh  about  400  pounds,"  said 
the  cashier. 

At  this  the  lawyer  became  interested  in  a  mo 
ment  and  said  :  "  Four  hundred  pounds  of  gold  ! 
What  kind  of  a  check  have  you  ?" 

"It  is  a  bill  of  exchange  on  New  York  for  $100,- 
ooo,"  said  the  cashier. 

"  One  hundred  thousand  dollars  !  "  said  the  lawyer  ; 
"  Great  heavens  !  have  you  found  an  oil  well  on 
your  farm,  robbed  a  bank,  or  what  ?" 

"  No,"  said  the  elder  Sedgwick,  "  but  my  wild  boy 
has  come  from  Nevada,  and  I  guess  this  is  a  part  of 
the  great  bonanza." 


44  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Finally  $25,000  was  drawn  in  paper,  enough  to 
clear  up  all  the  home  indebtedness,  and  the  rest  left 
on  deposit  until  the  son  and  brother  should  return; 
for,  as  they  talked  it  all  over,  they  concluded  that  he 
had  left  with  them  all  his  fortune,  except  traveling 
expenses. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  VOYAGE. 

Browning  and  Sedgwick  reached  New  York  and 
took  passage  on  the  first  outgoing  Cunarder.  When 
the  ship  steamed  out  of  the  harbor,  it  entered  at  once 
into  a  lively  sea,  and  the  great  craft  grew  strangely 
unsteady.  Browning  was  a  good  sailor,  but  Sedgwick 
found  it  was  all  he  could  do  to  maintain  his  equa 
nimity.  "  Jack,"  he  said  at  last,  "  this  is  worse  exer 
cise  then  riding  a  Texas  steer."  "  Did  you  ever  ride 
a  Texas  steer  ?  "  asked  Browning.  "  Indeed  I  have," 
said  Sedwick.  "  The  cowboys  have  a  game  of  that 
kind.  When  a  lot  of  steers  are  corraled,  they  climb 
up  on  the  cross-bar  over  the  gate  ;  the  gate  is  opened, 
the  steers  are  turned  out  with  a  rush,  and  the  science 
is  to  drop  from  the  cross-bar  upon  a  steer  and  ride 
him.  If  you  miss,  you  are  liable  to  be  trodden  to 
death.  If  you  strike  fairly,  then  the  trick  is  to  see 
how  long  you  can  hold  on.  It  is  rough  exercise,  but 
I  believe  it  is  preferable  to  this  perpetual  rising,  fall 
ing  and  rolling.  The  infernal  thing  seems  to  work 
like  an  Ingersoll  drill.  It  turns  a  quarter  of  a  circle 
on  one's  stomach  with  every  blow  it  strikes." 

They  had  sailed  into  an  expiring  storm  that  was 
fast  losing  its  strength  ;  the  waves  were  breaking 
down,  and  by  the  time  night  came  on  the  ship  was 


46  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

running  nearly  on  an  even  keel,  only  gently  rolling  as 
it  swept  magnificently  on  its  voyage. 

The  two  miners  walked  the  deck,  or  sat  by  the  rail, 
until  far  into  the  night,  admiring  the  glorified  struc 
ture  on  which  they  rode ;  watching  the  stars  and  the 
sea,  and  saw  with  other  things  the  beautiful  specta 
cle  of  another  ship  as  grand  as  their  own,  that 
swept  close  by  them  on  its  way  to  New  York.  Its 
whole  500  feet  of  length  was  a  blaze  of  light,  and  as 
the  Titans  whistled  hoarsely  to  each  other  a  greeting 
without  abating  their  speed,  it  seemed  to  the  two 
landsmen  as  though  two  stars  had  met  in  space, 
saluted  and  passed  on,  each  in  its  own  sublime  orbit. 

Sedgwick  and  Browning  soon  made  the  acquaint 
ance  of  several  passengers.  A  day  or  two  later  an 
animated  conversation  sprang  up  in  the  smoking 
room.  An  American  was  declaring  that  his  country 
was  the  greatest  on  earth  because  it  could  feed  the 
world  from  its  mighty  food  area. 

An  Englishman  disputed  the  claim,  because  the 
profits  of  the  manufacturers  of  little  England  were 
more  than  all  the  profits  from  all  the  lands  of  the 
United  States. 

A  Frenchman  claimed  the  palm  for  France,  because 
in  France  the  people  were  artists  ;  from  a  little  basis, 
from  material  well-nigh  worthless  in  itself,  the  French 
man  could,  by  infusing  French  brain  into  it,  create  a 
thing  of  beauty  for  which  the  world  was  glad  to  ex 
change  gold  and  gems. 

Then  Browning  said  ;  "You  are  all  right,  looking 
from  a  present  horizon  ;  all  wrong,  when  the  years  are 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  47 

taken  into  account.  The  great  country  of  the  world 
is  to  be  the  country  that  produces  the  metals  in  the 
greatest  quantity  and  variety,  and  whose  people 
acquire  the  art  of  turning  them  to  the  best  account. 
This  ship  that  we  are  on,  a  few  months  ago,  was  but 
unsightly  ore  in  the  ground.  Look  at  it  now  !  Tried 
by  fire  and  fused  with  labor,  it  has  grown  into  this 
marvelous  structure.  England's  crreatness and  wealth 

o  o 

are  due,  primarily,  all  to  her  mining.  Her  civiliza 
tion  can  be  measured  by  her  progress  in  reducing 
metals.  She  will  begin  to  fall  behind  soon,  for 
America  has,  in  addition  to  such  mines  as  England 
possesses,  endless  mines  of  gold  and  silver,  and,  after 
all,  the  precious  metals  rule  the  nations  and  measure 
their  civilization.  It  has  always  been  so  and  always 
will  be.  Those  mines  in  America  will  build  up  greater 
manufactures  than  England  possesses ;  they  will 
create  artists  more  skilled  than  even  beautiful  FYance 
can  boast  of.  A  hundred  years  hence,  all  other 
nations  will  be  second-class  by  comparison." 

The  next  day  the  conversation  was  resumed  and 
carried  on  with  much  spirit,  until  Sedgwick,  who  had 
been  reading  through  it  all,  laid  down  his  book,  and 
in  a  brief  pause  of  the  talk  said  : 

"  Neither  fruitful  fields,  rich  mines,  nor  skilled 
artisans,  nor  all  combined,  are  enough  to  make  great 
nations.  A  hundred  nations  existed  when  Rome 
was  founded.  They  had  as  fair  prospects  as  did 
Rome,  but  ninety  of  the  hundred  are  forgotten  ; 
the  other  ten  are  remembered  but  as  inferior  nations. 
It  was  the  stock  of  men  and  women  that  made 


48  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Rome's  grandeur  and  terror.  For  five  hundred  years 
an  unfaithful  wife  was  never  known  in  Rome.  The 
result  was  Rome  had  to  be  °reat  and  errand. 

o  o 

"  I  stood  once  on  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
in  Montana.  Near  together  were  two  springs,  out  ot 
each  of  which  the  water  flowed  away  in  a  creek.  One 
follows  the  mountains  down  to  the  eastward,  the  other 
to  the  west.  One  finds  its  final  home  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  the  other  in  the  Pacific.  The  one  takes  on 
other  streams,  its  volume  steadily  swells  ;  before  it 
flows  far  its  channel  is  hewed  through  fertile  fields  ; 
gaining  in  power,  the  argosies  of  commerce  find  a 
home  upon  its  broad  bosom,  and  it  is  a  recognized 
power  in  the  world,  a  mighty  factor  in  the  calcula 
tions  of  merchants  and  shippers. 

"But  in  the  meantime  it  becomes  tainted,  until  at  last 
when  it  finds  its  grave  in  the  Gulf,  so  foul  are  its 
waters  that  they  discolor  for  miles  the  deep  blue  of 
the  sea. 

"  The  other  starts 'with  a  babble  as  joyous  as  the 
carols  of  childhood  ;  when  it  reaches  the  valley  it 
begins  its  struggle  through  a  lava-blasted  desert ; 
when  the  desert  is  passed,  it  has  to  grind  its  channel 
through  rugged  mountains  that  tear  its  waters  into 
foam,  and  at  last  in  mighty  throes,  on  the  stormy  bar 
it  finds  its  grave  in  the  roaring  ocean.  Its  existence 
is  one  long,  mighty  struggle  ;  there  are  awful  chasms 
in  its  path  into  which  it  is  hurled  ;  the  thirsty  desert 
encroaches  upon  its  current ;  mountains  block  its  way  ; 
at  the  very  last  furious  seas  seek  to  beat  it  back,  but 


THE    WEDGE   OF    GOLD.  49 

to  the  end  it  holds  itself  pure  as  when  it  starts  on  its 
way  from  the  mountain  spring-. 

"These  rivers  are  typical  of  men  and  of  nations.  Some 
meet  no  obstruction  ;  they  glide  on,  gaining  in  wealth 
and  power  ;  at  last,  they  become  in  one  way  a 
blessing,  in  another  a  terror ;  but  in  the  meantime, 
they  grow  corrupt  because  of  the  world's  contact; 
and  so  pass,  gross  and  discolored,  into  eternity. 

"Others  have  lives  that  are  one  long  struggle 
unheard-of  obstacles  are  ever  rising  in  their  paths, 
but  they  fight  on  and  on,  and  when  at  last  their 
course  is  run,  those  who  trace  them  through  their 
careers,  with  uncovered  heads  are  bound  to  say  that 
they  kept  their  integrity  to  the  last,  and  that  all  the 
world's  discouragements  could  not  disarm  their  power, 
break  their  courage,  or  dim  the  clear  mirror  of  their 
purity." 

Sedgwick  ceased  speaking,  but  after  a  moment, 
looking  up,  he  added  :  "  Not  very  far  from  the 
sources  of  these  two  streams,  there  is  another  foun 
tain  in  the  hills,  out  of  which  flows  another  stream  as 
large  and  fair  as  either  of  the  others.  It,  too,  goes 
tumbling  down  the  mountain  gorge,  increasing  in 
volume,  until  it  strikes  the  valley,  then  grows  less 
and  less  in  size,  until  a  few  miles  below  it  disappears 
in  the  sands. 

"  This,  too,  is  typical  of  men  and  nations.  They 
begin  life  buoyant  and  brave  ;  they  rush  on  exultingly 
at  first,  but  the  quicksands  of  vice  or  crime  or  disease 
are  before  them,  and  they  sink  and  leave  no  name. 

"  The   man  or  nation   that  is  to  be  great   must   be 


50  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

born  great.     Those  who  succeed  are   those  who  are 
guided  into  channels  which  make  success  possible. 

"  The  strength  of  the  modern  world  rests  on  the 
modern  home.  That  did  not  come  of  rich  mines  or 
fields,  but  of  the  sovereign  o-enius  of  the  men  of 

o         o 

northern  Europe  ;  and  the  glory  was  worked  out  amid 
poverty,  hardships  and  sorrows." 

But  the  voyage  was  over  at  last,  and  the  two 
miners  hastened  to  take  the  train  for  the  home  of 
Browning  in  Devonshire.  They  arrived  at  the 
village  at  midnight  and  went  to  a  hotel,  or,  as  Sedg- 
wick  said:  "This,  Jack,  is  han  Hinglish  Hinn,  is  it?" 

Next  day  was  Sunday  and  Browning  was  up  early. 
He  said  to  Sedgwick  :  "  Wait  until  I  go  and  pros 
pect  the  croppings  about  here  a  little.  It  is  a  good 
while  since  I  was  on  this  lead,  and  I  want  to  see  how 
it  has  been  worked  since  I  went  away." 

He  came  back  in  half  an  hpur  a  good  deal  worked 
up.  "Do  you  know,  Jim,"  he  said,  "by  Jove,  they 
are  all  gone  !  That  old  step-father  has  '  gone  pards 
with  old  Jen  vie,  and  they  have  all  moved  to  London, 
and  are  running  a  banking  and  brokerage  establish 
ment.  I  have  their  address  and  we  will  chase  them 
up  to-morrow,  but  I  do  not  like  the  look  of  things  at 
all.  Why,  Rose  Jenvie  in  one  season  in  London 
would  blossom  out  and  shine  like  a  gold  bar." 

"Stuff,"  answered  Sedgwick.  "In  Texas  we 
always  noticed  that  if  we  ever  turned  out  a 
blood  mare  she  was  sure  to  pick  up  the  sorriest  old 
mustang  on  the  range  for  a  running  mate.  Your 
Rose  would  be  more  apt  to  pick  up  a  husband  here 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  51 

than  in   London  for  the  first  two  or  three  years  she 
might  be  there." 

Said  Browning:  "I  say,  Jim,  did  you  mean  that 
mustang  story  to  go  for  an  excuse  for  Miss  Rose 
calling  me  '  Jack?" 

"  O,  no  !"  said  Sedgwick,  "when  she  called  you 
Jack,  she  was  just  a  silly  colt  that  could  not  dis 
criminate." 

"I  see,"  said  Browning,  "but  I  say,  Jim,  you 
ought  to  have  been  here  then.  By  Jove,  she  might 
have  even  fancied  you." 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  talk  that  way,"  said  Sedgwick, 
"  or  I  will  try  to  cut  you  out  when  we  see  her,  unless, 
as  is  quite  possible,  she  has  already  been  some  happy 
man's  wife  for  two  or  three  years." 

"  Jim,  I  say,  stop  that  !"  said  Browning.  "  It  will 
be  time  to  face  that  infernal  possibility  when  I  can 
not  help  it.  Bless  my  soul,  but  the  thought  of  it 
makes  me  sea-sick." 

They  breakfasted  together,  and  were  smoking  their 
after-breakfast  cigars — Nevada-like — when  the  church 
bells  began  to  ring. 

"When  did  you  attend  church  last,  Browning?" 
asked  Sedgwick. 

"  I  have  been  a  good  deal  remiss  in  that,"  was 
the  reply.. 

"  Suppose  we  go.  It  will  be  a  novelty,  and  you 
will  see  more  friends  there  than  in  any  other  place." 

"A  good  thought,  old  boy,"  said  Browning,  "and 
we  shall  have  time  only  to  dress." 


52  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

A  few  minutes  later  they  emerged  from  the  hotel, 
and  proceeded  to  the  old  church  that  Browning  had 
attended  during  all  his  childhood. 

Queerly  enough,  the  sermon  was  on  the  return  of 
the  Prodigal  Son.  The  good  clergyman  dilated  on 
his  theme.  He  told  what  a  tou^h  citizen  the  Pro- 

o 

digal  Son  was  in  his  youth  ,  how  he  was  given  to 
boating  and  steeple-chasing,  and  staying  out  nights 
and  worrying  the  old  father,  until  finally  he  ran  away. 
"  Photographing  you,  Jack,"  whispered  Sedgwick. 
When  he  came  to  the  part  where  the  Prodigal  ate  the 
husks,  Sedgwick  whispered  again  :  "  He  means  the 
hash  in  that  restaurant  on  the  Divide,  Jack." 

Then  the  picture  of  the  joy  of  the  father  on  the 
return  of  this  son,  and  the  moral  which  the  parable 
teaches,  were  graphically  given.  At  last  the  service 
was  over,  and  as  the  congregation  filed  out  there  was 
a  general  rush  for  Browning,  for  the  whole  congrega 
tion  recognized  him,  though  the  almost  beardless  boy 
that  went  away  had  returned  in  the  full  flush  of  man 
hood.  He  was  overwhelmed  with  greetings  and 
congratulations  over  his  safe  return,  and  as  Sedgwick 
was  introduced  as  Browning's  friend  the  welcomes  to 
him  were  most  cordial,  though  there  was  many  a 
glance  at  the  fashionably-cut  clothing  of  the  young 
men. 

The  people  were  all  in  Sunday  attire,  many  of  the 
ladies  wearing  gay  colors.  The  day  was  warm  and 
sunny  and  they  lingered  on  the  green,  talking  joy 
ously,  when  suddenly  a  cry  of  terror  arose,  and  look 
ing,  the  young  men  saw  a  two-year  old  Hereford  bull 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  53 

coming  at  full  speed  at  the  crowd,  and  with  the  evi 
dent  intention  of  charging  direct  into  it.  Every  one 
was  paralyzed  ;  that  is,  all  but  one.  That  one  was 
Sedgwick.  Near  him  was  a  woman  who  had  a  long  red 
scarf  doubled  and  flunor  carelessly  over  her  shoulder. 
In  an  instant  Sedgwick  had  thrown  off  his  coat, 
snatched  the  scarf  from  the  woman  and  dashed  out 
of  the  crowd  directly  toward  the  coming  terror. 
He  shouted  and  shook  the  scarf,  and  the  bull,  seeing 
it,  rushed  directly  for  it.  As  he  struck  the  scarf,  like 
a  flash  Sedgwick  caught  the  ring  in  the  bull's  nose 
with  his  left  hand,  the  left  horn  in  his  right  hand,  and 
twisting  the  ring  and  giving  a  mighty  wrench  on  the 
horn,  both  man  and  bull  went  prone  upon  the  turf. 
But  the  man  was  above  and  the  bull  below,  and  cling 
ing  to  ring  and  horn  and  with  knee  on  the  bull's 
throat,  Sedgwick  bent  all  his  might  upon  the  brute's 
head  and  held  him  down. 

Browing  was  at  his  side  in  a  moment,  and  at 
Sedgwick's  muffled  cry  to  tie  his  forelegs,  Browning 
seized  the  scarf,  lashed  the  bull's  legs  together,  and 
then  both  men  arose. 

Securing  his  coat  quickly,  Sedgwick  seized  Brown 
ing's  arm,  and  said,  "  Let  us  get  out  of  this,  old  man. 
You  told  me  this  was  a  bully  place,  but  I  did  not  look 
for  it  quite  in  that  form/' 

"  Where  did  you  learn  that  trick  ?  "  asked  Brown 
ing. 

"  In  Texas,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  It  is  a  game  we 
play  with  yearlings  there,  but  we  never  try  it  on  an 
old  stager,  because,  you  see,  if  one  should  fall  he 


54  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

would  be  in  the.  sump,  or  in  a  drift  where  the  air 
would  be  bad  in  a  minute.  That  was  a  big  fellow, 
but  he  had  a  wring  in  his  nose,  which  made  me  the 
more  sure  of  him,  and  then  you  see  there  was  noth 
ing  else  to  do.  I  will  go  to  no  more  churches  in 
England  with  you  without  carrying  a  lariat  and 
revolver." 

"It  was  a  good  job,  Jack,"  said  Browning;  " by 
Jove,  it  was.  I  am  sorry  it  happened,  but  I  am  glad 
you  did  it.  I  don't  believe  I  could  have  managed  it 
any  better  myself." 

The  feat  was  the  talk  of  the  town,  and  it  grew  in 
size  with  every  repetition,  and  in  the  next  day's 
paper  it  was  magnified  beyond  all  proportions.  For 
tunately,  the  printers  got  both  the  names  of  Brown 
ing  and  Sedgwick  spelled  wrong,  which  was  all  the 
comfort  the  young  men  had  out  of  it. 

On  Monday  morning  the  friends  went  out  in  the 
country  and  looked  over  the  estate  that  Browning 
had  been  hoping  to  make  money  enough  to  purchase. 
Browning  explained  his  plans  for  improving  it,  and 
the  address  of  the  owner  in  London  was  obtained. 

In  the  evening  they  took  the  train  for  London. 
The  landlord  had  had  a  great  night  and  day  because 
of  callers  on  Browning  and  his  friend,  and  would  take 
nothing  of  his  guests  except  a  five-pound  note  to 
hand  to  the  woman  from  whose  shoulder  Sedgwick 
had  caught  the  scarf. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

BONANZAS. 

It  was  in  the  gray  of  the  morning  when  they 
entered  the  mighty  city  by  the  Thames.  They 
sought  a  hotel,  where  they  breakfasted  ;  then  waiting 
until  business  men  had  gone  to  their  work,  they 
called  a  carriage  and  drove  to  the  home  of  Browning's 
step-father. 

It  was  Browning's  turn  now  to  tremble  and  per 
spire.  "  Bless  my  soul,  Jim  !  "  said  he,  "  no  drift  on 
the  Comstock  was  ever  half  so  hot  as  this,  never,  by 
Jove !  " 

They  were  admitted  and  shown  to  the  parlor. 
Browning  asked  for  Mrs.  and  Miss  Hamlin,  and  bade 
the  servant  say  some  friends  desired  to  see  them. 

Who  can  picture  the  joy  that  followed  the  coming 
of  those  ladies  into  the  room  !  It  is  better  to  imag 
ine  it. 

After  an  hour  had  passed,  and  the  tears  had  dried, 
and  the  tremblings  ceased  a  little,  Browning's  sister 
drew  him  a  little  aside  and  asked  him  why  he  did  not 
inquire  about  some  one  else. 

"  Because,"  said  he,  "  I  dare  not." 

"Well,"  said  the  dear  girl,  "  she  is  due  here  even 
now.  If  you  will  go  into  the  library  I  will  meet  her, 
tell  her  mother  has  a  caller,  and  propose  that  we  go 
.to  the  library.  When  we  get  there  I  will  lose  myself 

55 


56  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

for  your  sake,  and,  like  the  famous  witches,  '  dissolve 
into  thin  air.' ' 

"  She  is  not  married  ?  "  asked  Browning. 

"  No,"  replied  his  sister. 

<4  Heart  whole?  "  Browning  queried. 

"  How  should  I  know  ?  "  answered  his  sister  ;  "  but 
there  is  the  door-bell.  Hurry  Jack  !  This  way  to  the 
library ! " 

Rose  Jenvie  came  in.  Grace  met  and  greeted  her 
in  the  hall. 

"  Why,  Grace,"  said  Rose,  "you  have  been  crying. 
What  is  wrong,  dear  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  wrong,"  said  Grace,  "  nothing  at  all, 
and  I  have  not  been  crying."  And  all  the  time  the 
tears  were  running  down  her  cheeks. 

"  Why,"  exclaimed  Rose,  <§  what  in  the  world  is 
the  matter  ?  What  has  so  upset  you  this  morning  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you,  nothing,"  answered  Grace.  "  Mamma 
has  a  caller  in  the  parlor  ;  let  us  go  to  the  library." 

Reaching  the  door,  Grace  opened  it  for  Rose,  and 
then  said,  pettishly,  "  There  !  I  have  forgotten  a 
letter  I  wish  to  show  you  ;  go  in,  and  I  will  be  back 
directly." 

Rose  naturally  walked  in,  when  Grace  closed  the 
door  behind  her,  turned  the  key  noiselessly  and  fled. 

The  curtains  were  half,  drawn,  the  day  was  cloudy, 
and  Rose  advanced  two  or  three  steps  into  the  room 
before  she  discovered  another  occupant.  That  occu 
pant  rose  as  she  stopped.  She  saw  a  manly  fellow 
with  hair  cut  short  and  full  mustache.  He  saw  a 
woman  a  little  above  the  medium  height,  with  hazel 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLIX.  57 

eyes,  full  and  proud,  a  fair,  clear-cut  face,  a  slight  but 
perfectly  developed  form,  and  the  face  wore  a  look 
which  it  seemed  to  him  was  sad,  despite  its  beauty,  as 
though  some  thought  within  made  a  shadow  on  the 
fair  young  life. 

The  young-  man  gazed  a  moment,  then  raising  and 
opening  his  arms,  in  a  voice  that  shook  perceptibly, 
said,  "  Rose  !  " 

She  gazed  a  moment,  then  with  a  joyous  cry  of  "  O, 
Jack  !  "  sprang  into  the  outstretched  arms,  and  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives  their  lips  met. 

There  were  tears  in  Jack's  eyes  ;  the  tears  were 
raining  down  Rose's  face,  and  both  were  shaking  as 
with  a  burning  ague.  Browning  sank  upon  a  sofa, 
still  clasping  the  fair  girl  in  his  strong  arms,  and  seat, 
ing  her  beside  him. 

"  O,  Rose,"  he  said,  "  I  have  dreamed  of  this  meet 
ing  ever  since  I  left  you,  by  sea  and  land,  under  the 
sunshine,  in  the  deep  mine's  depths,  by  day  and  night. 
I  love  you,  I  do  not  know  when  I  did  not  love  you  ; 
I  have  come  for  you,  will  you  be  my  wife  ?  " 

Then  Rose  said  :  "  You  went  away  without  a  good 
bye  or  any  message.  You  never  wrote.  You  have 
been  gone  more  than  four  years."  But  with  a  smile 
which  was  enchantment  to  Jack,  she  added  :  "  If  I 
could  have  found  any  one  to  marry  me,  I  would  have 
shown  you,  but  no  one  would,  because  when  I  was 
young  I  kept  such  bad  company." 

Then  how  they  did  talk!  Jack  repeated  all  the  old 
inaccuracies  which  lovers  have  called  up  since  the 
Stone  Age,  the  burden  of  which  was  that  the  memory 


58  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

of  her  face  had  been  his  light  in  the  darkest  mine ; 
the  memory  of  her  voice  had  been  the  music  for 
which  his  soul  had  been  listening  for  years. 

And  Rose  told  the  enraptured  young  man  how 
hard  her  lot  had  been  to  conceal  a  love  which  she 
had  no  right  to  own,  because  it  had  never  been  asked  ; 
how  hard  it  had  been  for  her  to  .simulate  content 
ment  and  cheerfulness,  but  after  all  how  it  had  been 
her  comfort  and  support,  because  she  had  never 
doubted  that  he  would  come  back. 

Then  Jack,  between  kisses,  told  his  charmer  that 
he  had  worked  every  day  for  years ;  that  he  had 
gathered  up  quite  a  many  good  pounds ;  that  if  she 
would  be  his  wife,  if  nothing  could  be  done  in  Eng 
land,  they  would  bid  England  good-bye  and  make 
their  home  beyond  the  sea.  And  she  consented, 
adding  :  "  If  you  have  to  run  away  again,  see  that 
you  do  not  go  alone.  You  were  always  so  wild  that 
from  the  first  you  have  needed  some  careful  person 
to  look  after  you." 

An  hour  later,  Grace  came,  unlocked  the  door, 
and  found  the  happy  pair  arm-in-arm  walking  up 
and  down  the  room.  Going  up  to  them,  and  looking 
into  their  faces,  she  said  : 

"  Why,  Rose,  you  have  been  crying ;  what  is 
wrong,  dear  ?  " 

"  Nothing  is  wrong,"  she  answered,  "  nothing  is 
wrong,  and  I  have  not  been  crying  ;  have  I,  Jack  ? 
But,  Grace,  was  it  fair  to  give  me  no  hint,  and  thus 
permit  Jack  to  surprise  me  into  giving  away  some- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  59 

thing  that  I  ought  to  have  kept  him  on  the  rack  for 
a  month  at  least  about  before  conferring  ?  " 

Grace  smiled  and  said  :  "  Are  you  quite  satisfied, 
Jack  ?  " 

<(  Quite,"  he  replied. 

"  And  are  you  as  happy  as  you  deserve  to  be, 
Rose  ? " 

"  Oh,  Grace,"  said  Rose,  and  then  the  two  young 
women  both  cried  and  embraced  each  other  until  Jack 
gently  separated  them,  and  said  :  "  Come,  we  must 
find  Jim.  Jim  is  my  friend.  His  judgment  is  perfect, 
and  I  must  submit  this  business  to  him." 

•"  Mr.  Sedgwick  has  gone  back  to  the  hotel,"  said 
Grace,  and  a  serious  look  was  in  her  eyes  as  she 
spoke.  But  in  a  moment  she  smiled  and  said  : 
"When  I  told  him  where  you  were  and  who  was 
with  you,  he  laughed  and  said  :  '  It  is  liable  to  be  a 
case  of  working  after  hours.  When  the  young  lady 
succeeds  in  extricating  herself,  tell  Jack,  please,  that 
I  have  gone  out  to  take  in  London,  and  will  see  him 
.at  the  hotel  when  he  finds  time  to  call.'  ' 

"  And  who  is  Mr.  Sedgwick  ?  "  asked  Rose. 

"The  best  and  noblest  man  in  all  this  world," 
replied  Jack. 

"Oh,  Jack!"  said  Rose. 

"  It  is  true,  all  the  same,  my  sorceress,"  said 
Browning.  "  I  have  seen  him  tested.  He  has  been 
my  close  companion  for  lo  !  these  many  months." 

"  I  am  jealous  of  him,"  said  Rose.  "  But  why  did 
he  run  away  ?  I  want  to  know  all  your  friends." 

"  I  suspect  the  truth  is  he  left  out  of  consideration 


6O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

for  you  and  myself,"  said  Browning.  "  He  knew 
how  I  felt,  and  he  hoped  I  would  not  be  disap 
pointed,  and  I  suspect  he  thought  the  sacredness  of 
our  joy  ought  not  to  be  disturbed." 

"  Very  fine,  of  course,"  said  Grace  ;  "  very  thought 
ful  and  considerate,  but  why  did  he  not  stop  to  ask 
himself  if  it  was  quite  fair  to  leave  me  all  alone." 

"  You  are  right  Gracie,"  said  Browning,  "  and 
this  act  of  his  shows  an  absence  of  mind  on  his  part 
that  I  did  not  expect." 

Then  all  laughed,  but  Grace  blushed  a  little  while 
she  laughed. 

Then  Mrs.  Hamlin  came  in.  She  warmly  con 
gratulated  the  happy  pair. 

They  strolled  into  the  sitting-room,  and  soon  after 
the  mail  was  brought  in.  The  first  things  the  girls 
siezed  upon  were  the  papers  from  Devonshire,  for 
they  were  like  other  people.  Men  and  women  live 
in  a  place  for  years,  and  daily  express  the  belief  that 
the  home  paper  is  the  worst  specimen  they  ever  saw, 
but  let  one  of  them  absent  himself  or  herself  for  a 
week,  and  the  same  newspaper  from  the  old  home  is 
the  one  thing  they  want  above  all  others.  Glancing 
over  the  paper,  Grace  suddenly  looked  up  and  said : 
"Why,  they  had  a  wonderfully  exciting  episode  down 

in on  Sunday  last."  She  had  come  upon  the 

account  of  the  exploit  with  the  bull,  and  read  it 
aloud. 

The  names  being  misspelled,  she  never  suspected 
the  real  facts. 

"  That  was  a  brave  man,"  she  said,  when  she  had 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  6 1 

finished.  "  It  must  have  been  splendid.  I  wish  I 
could  have  seen  it.  How  it  must  have  astonished 
those  villagers.  I  would  like  to  kiss  the  man  who 
performed  that  feat." 

"  Would  you  ?"  said  Jack  laughingly.  "  I  will  tell 
him  so  when  1  meet  him." 

"  Please  do,"  said  Grace.  "  He  must  have  been  a 
grand  matador  from  Spain,"  and  springing  up,  she 
caught  a  tidy  from  the  furniture,  danced  around  the 
room  with  it,  holding  it  in  both  hands  as  though 
bating  an  angry  bull,  and  suddenly  dropping  it,  made 
a  grab  for  an  imaginary  ring  and  horn,  and  twisting 
both  wrists  quickly,  cried  out:  "  Did  I  not  down  his 
highness  beautifully  ?  " 

"Beautifully,"  said  Browning,  "  and  when  I  meet 
the  man  I  will  tell  him  of  your  vivid  imitation." 

"  And  don't  forget  to  tell  him  I  would  like  to  kiss 
him,"  said  Grace,  laughing. 

"  Maybe  I  can  fix  it  so  you  can  tell  him  yourself, 

Gj> 
race. 

"  Do  you  know  him,  Jack?"  asked  Rose. 

Jack  smiled  and  said,  "  Perhaps." 

"  What  do  mean,  Jack,"  asked  Grace. 

"I  know  the  man,  Grace;  and  so  do  you,"  said 
Jack. 

"  True  ?"  asked   Grace. 

"True,"  said  Jack. 

"  I  know  him  ?."  asked  Grace.  "Why,  who  is  there 
in -  that  would  do  anything  like  that  ?" 

"  No  one  that  I  know  of,"  said  Jack.  "  But  you 
have  foro-otten  a  somewhat  diffident  and  reserved 


62  .        THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

young  man  with  whom  you  were  conversing  in  the 
parlor  an  hour  ago  ?  " 

Grace  grew  pale,  and  sank  into  a  seat.  "  O,  Jack, 
you  don't  mean ?  " 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  interrupting  her,  "it  was  Sedgwick, 
and  it  was  splendidly  done*,  too.  It  was,  by  Jove  !  " 

"  Honest?"  asked  Grace. 

"  Honest,  and  I  will  deliver  your  message." 

Blushing  scarlet,  Grace  sprang  up  and  began  to 
plead. 

Browning  would  promise  nothing  except  that  he 
might  possibly  put  the  matter  off  a  little  while. 
"  But,"  he  added,  "  I  believe  Jim  would  give  more  to 
see  your  imitation  than  you  would  to  see  the  original 
performance  repeated  without  change  of  scene." 

"  Were  you  not  sharp,  Jack,  to  get  me  to  commit 
myself  before  ever  gaining  a  glimpse  of  this  wonder 
ful  man  ?"  asked  Rose. 

"Indeed,  was,"  the  replied.  "Why,  I  recall  now 
that  once  when  we  were  having  a  friendly  dispute, 
he  threatened  that  unless  I  came  to  his  terms  he 
would  come  over  here,  search  you  out,  and  try  to 
steal  you  away  from  me." 

"  But  then  he  had  not  seen  me,"  said  Grace,  mock 
ingly. 

All  laughed  at  that.  Rose  spoke  first  and  said: 
"  But,  if  he  is  your  close  friend,  and  has  come  to 
England  with  you,  why  does  he  go  back  to  the 
hotel  r 

Browning  smiled  and  said,  "Why,  child,  save  for 
three  days  in  his  own  father's  house,  he  has  been 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  63 

under  no  gentleman's  private  roof  for  years.  He 
does  not  know  our  English  methods.  And  that 
makes  me  think;  I,  too,  must  go.  My  own  tenure 
here  was  a  little  uncertain,  when  I  went  away,  and 
now  I,  too,  am  going  to  the  hotel.  When  my  father 
comes,  Grace,  you  rriay  tell  him  I  have  been 

here,  that  I  called,  but  that  I  am  staying  at  the 

Hotel.  If  he  comes  and  calls  upon  me,  I  shall  be 
glad  to  see  him  ;  if  he  does  not,  why,  tomorrow  at 
ten,  if  you  girls  will  have  your  hats  and  wraps  on,  I 
think  Jim  and  myself  will  be  glad  to  engage  you  fora 
drive.  Jim  has  not  been  forbidden  the  premises,  and 
he  can  call  for  you  while  I  wait  outside." 

No  persuasion  would  make  him  remain.  Putting 
his  arm  around  Rose,  he  drew  her  to  him,  and  said  : 
"  We  will  give  the  old  folks  a  chance  to  do  the  fair 
thing  ;  if  they  will  not,  what  then,  little  one  ?  " 

"  Henceforth,"  she  answered,  gravely,  but  low  and 
sweet,  "your  home  is  to  be  my  home,  your  God  my 
God."  Then  she  bent  and  touched  his  hand  with 
her  lips,  and  he  wended  his  way  back  to  find  Sedg- 
wick. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

A    DINNER    PARTY. 

And  Sedgvvick,  what  of  him  ?  He  had  gone,  as  he 
said,  "  to  see  Jack  through,  as  Jack  had  stood  by  him 
in  Ohio,"  but  when  Grace  Hamlin — or  Grace  Mere 
dith,  which  was  her  real  name — at  their  summons 
entered  the  parlor  he  was  transfixed.  Just  medium 
height  was  she,  slight  but  perfect  in  form,  with 
darkish-brown  eyes  and  clear-cut  features,  a  golden 
chestnut  curly  mass  of  hair,  the  hand  of  a  queen,  and 
the  hand-clasp  of  a  sincere,  true  and  happy  woman. 
And  poor  Jim  was  lost  in  a  moment. 

He  called  up  all  his  self-possession,  and  did  the 
best  he  could,  but  he  seized  the  first  opportunity  to 
get  away  where  he  could  think.  Once  outside  the 
house,  he  hailed  a  cab,  told  the  driver  to  jog  around 
for  an  hour  or  two,  and  then  land  him  at  the  - 
Hotel.  Once  started,  he  settled  back  and  began  to 
cross-question  himself,  and  to  moralize  over  the  situ 
ation. 

"  I  have  seen  prettier  girls  than  this  one,  seen 
them  in  Ohio,  in  Texas,  in  Virginia  City,  and  they 
never  gave  me  an  extra  heart-beat.  What  is  the 
matter  with  me  now  ?  When  that  girl  smiled  up  in 
my  face,  welcomed  me  as  her  brother's  friend,  and 
told  me  she  was  glad  I  had  come  with  him,  all  the 
clutches  broke  off  my  cage,  and  I  thought  I  would 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  65 

in  a  moment  bring-  up  in  the  sump  below  the  1,700 
foot  level,  smashed  so  they  would  have  to  sew  the 
pieces  up  in  canvas  to  bring  me  to  the  surface.  It  is 
a  clear  case  that  I  am  gone,  and  what  the  mischief 
am  I  going  to  do  ?  Suppose  I  brace  up  and  try  to 
win  her,  and  fail,  then  I  shall  be  done  for  sure  enough. 
The  old  world  so  far  has  had  no  particular  attrac 
tions  for  me,  and  were  I  to  ask  her  to  look  at  me, 
and  she,  like  a  sensible  woman  that  she  is,  should 
first  look  surprised  at  my  assurance,  and  then  respect 
fully  decline,  what  would  there  be  left  for  me  ? 
Suppose  again,  I  could  fool  her  into  accepting,  then 
what?  I,  a  rough  Nevada  miner,  linked  for  life  with 
a  London  fairy — beauty  and  the  beast — what  would 
I  do  with  her?  In  this  babel,  what  could  I  do? 
What  could  she  do  on  the  old  Jasper  farm  on  the 
hill  ?  I  have  it.  I  won't  see  her  again.  I  will  go 
and  pack  my  grip,  tell  Jack  I  have  received  a  cable 
which  takes  me  home,  and  I  will  leave  to-morrow. 

"  But  then  I  could  not  go  as  I  came.  Those 
steady  brown  eyes  would  follow  me  ;  when  the  sun 
light  would  turn  its  glint  on  gold  and  purple  clouds, 
her  chestnut  curls  would  be  sure  to  flash  before  my 
eyes,  and  then  there  would  be  a  voice  crying  to  me 
ceaselessly:  'You  who  prided  yourself  on  being 
brave  enough  to  do  any  needed  thing,  you  on  the 
first  real  trial  lowered  your  flag  and  fled  in  a  panic.: 
A  nice  fix  I  have  got  myself  into.  All  my  life, 
through  all  my  dare-devil  days,  on  the  ranges  in 
Texas,  down  amid  the  swelling  clay  of  the  Comstock, 
everywhere,  my  soul  has  been  equal  to  the  occasion, 


66  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

and  I  have  been  able  to  acquit  myself  in  a  way 
not  to  attract  attention  to  my  deficiencies.  But 
now  my  heart  has  gone  back  on  me  ;  a  pair  of  eyes 
have  confused  my  vision,  and  a  little  hand  has 
knocked  me  out  on  the  first  round.  I  am  in  a  deuce 
of  a  fix,  surely."  So  he  rattled  on  to  himself. 

The  driver  was  a  garrulous  whip.  From  time  to 
time  he  had  been  calling  down  to  Sedgwick  the 
names  of  famous  points  of  interest  along  the  route, 
which  had  been  unheeded  by  the  absorbed  occupant 
of  the  cab.-  Finally  the  driver  explained  that  a  cer 
tain  structure  was  Westminster  Abbey. 

"  And  what  is   Westminster  Abbey  ?" 

"  It  is  where  kings  and  queens  and  great  soldiers 
and  scholars  are  buried,"  said  cabbie. 

"  Burial  lots  come  high  there,  do  they  not  ?"  said 
Sedgwick. 

''Why,  man,  there  are  no  lots  sold  there,"  said 
cabbie.  "  It  is  a  place  which  was  hundreds  of  years 
ago  set  aside  for  England's  great  dead  to  be  buried 
in.  The  brightest  dream  of  an  Englishman  is  to  rest 
there  at  last." 

"  Do  they  dream  when  they  get  there  ? "  asked 
Sedgwick. 

"Why,  man,"  said  cabbie,  "when  they  get  there 
they  are  dead." 

"  Great  place  !  "  said  Sedgwick. 

"  The  greatest  in  all  England,"  replied  cabbie. 

"  Do  you  know  of  any  Englishmen  who  are  in  a 
hurry  to  be  carried  there?"  said  Sedgwick. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD  67 

"  O,  no,"  said  cabbie,  "  the  best  of  them  are  not  in 
any  hurry  about  it." 

"  You  Englishmen  must  be  a  queer  race,  to  be 
always  dreaming  of  going  to  a  place  and  still  are 
never  anxious  to  start,"  said  Sedgwick. 

Cabbie  gave  up  trying  to  explain  the  majesty  of 
the  great  Abbey  to  one  so  utterly  obtuse  as  Sedg 
wick  seemed  to  be.  He  drove  on  in  silence  for  h  al 
an  hour  or  forty  minutes  before  he  rallied  enough  to 
speak  again.  Then  he  pointed  to  a  structure  and 
called  down  to  Sedgwick  that  the  place  was  Newgate. 

''What  is  there  peculiar  about  Newgate  ?"  asked 
Sedgwick. 

"  Why,  it  is  the  famous  Newgate  prison,"  said' 
cabbie. 

Sedgwick  roused  himself  and  asked,  "  What  do 
they  do  in  Newgate  ?  " 

"  What  do  they  do  ?  "  said  cabbie,  "  what  do  they 
do  ?  Why,  they  hang  people  there  sometimes." 

•'  Get  down,  please,  and  ask  them  what  they  will 
charge  to  hang  me,"  said  Sedgwick.  He  did  not 
smile  ;  he  seemed  in  sober  earnest. 

Cabbie  looked  at  him  for  an  instant,  then  whipped 
up  his  horses  and  hurried  him  to  the  hotel.  Arriving 
there,  he  sprang  down  and  said,  "  This  is  your  hotel." 
Sedgwick  got  out  and  was  walking  off  mechanically, 
when  cabbie  said,  "  Five  shillings,  please,  sir."  Sedg 
wick,  with  "  O,  I  had  forgotten,"  handed  the  man  a 
guinea,  and  passed  into  the  hotel.  Cabbie  looked 
after  him,  then  tapped  his  forehead  as  much  as  to 


68  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

say,  "  He  is  off  in  the  upper  story,"  and  mounting  his 
box,  drove  away. 

Sedgwick  went  to  his  rooms,  threw  off  his  coat, 
opened  a  window,  sat  down,  put  his  heels  on  the 
table,  lighted  a  cigar  which  went  out  in  a  moment, 
and  an  hoar  later  when  Browning,  radiant,  joyous, 
and  exulting,  returned,  he  found  him  there,  still  hold 
ing  the  unlighted  cigar  in  his  mouth,  his  feet  still  on 
the  table,  and  a  puzzled,  undecided,  and  absorbed 
look  on  his  face. 

Browning  rushed  up  to  him,  crying,  ''Jim,  con 
gratulate  me,  I  have  seen  her,  and  it  is  all  settled. 
She  is  an  angel,  Jim,  and  she  has  promised  to  be  my 
wife.  O,  but  God  is  good  to  me." 

"  I  am  glad,  old  man,  I  rejoice  with  you,"  said 
Sedgwick.  "  I  hope  with  all  my  heart  no  cloud  will 
ever  cross  the  sunshine  of  your  lives."  Then  he 
relapsed  again  into  his  moody  way. 

"  What  ails  you,  Jim?"  asked  Browning.  "Does 
this  great  babel  oppress  your  spirits  ?  " 

"I  believe  it  does,  Jack,"  he  answered.  "I  was 
just  thinking  as  you  came  in  that  I  had  better  pull 
out  for  home.  The  atmosphere  here  is  like  a  drift 
without  any  air-pipe." 

"Nonsense,"  said  Browning:  "you  cannot  go 
You  must  wait  for  my  wedding.  It  would  be  all 
spoiled  without  you.  I  was  planning  it  on  the  way. 
It  will  be  in  the  church,  of  course,  just  before  midday, 
You  will  be  the  best  man — as  usual.  You  and  my 
sister  shall  do  the  honors  that  day.  All  my  friends 
will  be  there.  I  will  have  the  church  smothered  in 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  69 

flowers.  I  will  corrupt  the  organist,  bribe  the  choir, 
double-bank  the  preacher  in  advance,  and  we  will  all 
have  a  rousing  time.  We  will,  by  Jove  !" 

bedgwick  smiled  at  his  friend's  happiness,  and  said: 
"  Did  you  ever  think  that  maybe  I  would  be  a  little 
out  of  training  for  a  performance  of  that  kind  ?  I 
think  I  would  sooner  risk  keeping  my  seat  on  a  wild 
mustang." 

"You  can  do  it,  Sedgwick,"  said  Jack.  "  You  must 
do  it.  I  would  not  feel  half  married  unless  you  were 
present,  and  then,  did  you  not  promise  to  come  and 
see  me  through  ?" 

"Who  will  give  away  the  bride?"  asked  Sedg 
wick. 

The  question  seemed  to  startle  Browning.  "  That 
reminds  me,"  he  said,  doubtingly,  "  that  I  have  neither 
seen  my  governor  nor  old  man  Jenvie.  I  left  home 
telling  mother  and  Grace  that  before  I  went  home  to 
live  I  would  have  to  be  invited  by  the  governor. 
And  that  reminds  me,  too,  Jim,  there  must  not  be  a 
word  about  my  money.  I  have  only  carried  the  idea 
that  I  worked  for  three  years  in  the  mines  in  Amer 
ica.  They  will  reckon  it  up  and  conclude  that  if  I 
was  prudent  !  may  have  saved  ^400  or  ^500." 

"That  reminds  me,"  said  Sedgwick,  "that  no  one 
must  know  that  I  have  anything  more  than  the  sav 
ings  of  three  or  four  years'  work.  It  would  give  you 
away  if  the  facts  were  known  about  my  little  fortune. 
But,  Jack,  could  you  not  get  along  just  as  well  with 
out  me  ?  You  ought  to  be  in  your  own  home  and 
ought  to  enjoy  every  moment  of  time,  while  I  am,  in 


7O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

this  vast  waste  of  houses,  what  one  solitary  monkey 
would  be  in  a  South  American  wilderness." 

"  I  will  not  hear  of  it,  old  pard,"  said  Browning. 
"  You  see,  if  the  governor  asks  me  home  you  will  go 
with  me,  and  we  will  cabin  together  as  of  old.  We 
will,  by  Jove  !  If  he  does  not,  then  you  must  help  me 
hold  the  fort  in  this  hotel  until  I  can  bring  my  wife 
here,"  and  he  blushed  like  a  girl  when  he  spoke  the 
word  "wife." 

The  day  wore  heavily  away.  It  was  almost  dark 
when  a  carriage  stopped  at  the  hotel  and  the  cards  of 
Archibald  Hamlin  and  Percival  Jenvie  were  brought 
in.  Browning  received  them,  and  glancing  at  them 
handed  them  to  Sedgwick,  whispering,  "  They  are 
the  old  duffers,  Jim,"  caught  up  his  hat,  said  to  the 
servant,  "  Show  me  the  gentlemen,"  and  followed  him 
out  of  the  room. 

He  was  absent  a  full  half-hour.  When  he  returned 
the  two  old  men  accompanied  him  and  were  pre 
sented  to  Jack.  They  were  very  gracious,  invited 
Sedgwick  to  come  with  his  son  and  make  his  son's 
home  his  home  while  in  London. 

Sedgwick  was  shy  when  there  were  ladies  present, 
but  men  did  not  disconcert  him. 

He  thanked  Mr.  Hamlin  for  his  kind  invitation, 
but  begged  to  be  excused,  adding,  "  I  am  but  a  miner, 
not  yet  a  month  from  underground.  I  have  lived  a 
miner's  life  for  years.  You  do  not  understand,  but 
that  is  not  a  good  school  in  which  to  prepare  a 
student  for  polite  society." 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  Jl 

"  Tut,  tut,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  with  English 
heartiness.  "  We  have  a  big,  rambling  old  house. 
You  can  have  your  quarters  there.  When  you 
become  bored  you  can  retreat  to  them.  You  shall 
have  a  key  and  go  and  come  when  you  please.  We 
should  all  be  hurt  were  not  Jack's  friend  made  welcome 
under  our  roof  so  long  as  he  pleased  to  remain  in 
London." 

"  Well,  let  me  think  it  over  to-night.  If  I  can 
gather  the  courage,  maybe  I  will  accept  to-morrow," 
said  Sedgwick. 

Then  Jenvie  interposed,  saying,  "  Mr.  Sedgwick, 
let  us  make  a  compromise.  My  house  is  but  a  step 
from  Hamlin's;  make  it  your  home  half  the  time. 
Really  it  should  be.  In  England  friends  only  stop  at 
hotels  when  traveling." 

"Come,  Jim,"  said  Jack;  "you  see  it  must  be,  and 
that  is  the  right  thing.  Ours  are  old-fashioned 
people,  just  up  from  Devonshire.  What  would  you 
have  thought  had  I  insisted  upon  stopping  at  that 
hotel  at  the  station  near  your  father's  house  ?  " 

Sedgwick  yielded  at  last.  Their  trunks  were 
packed  in  a  few  minutes,  the  bill  settled,  and  they 
drove  away. 

Reaching  the  Hamlin  home  they  were  shown  at 
once  to  their  apartments,  and  were  informed  that  so 
soon  as  they  were  ready  dinner  would  be  served. 

They  were  not  long  in  dressing,  and  together  they 
descended  to  the  parlor.  Besides  the  family,  the 
Jenvie  family  were  also  present.  Grace  met  them  at 
the  door,  shook  hands  with  Sedgwick,  and  welcomed 


72  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

him  with  a  word  and  a  smile  which  set  all  his  pulses 
bounding,  and,  taking  his  arm,  presented  him  to  the 
strangers;  then  shouted  gaily :  "Follow  us!  dinner 
is  waiting." 

Sedgwick  was  given  the  seat  at  the  right  of  his 
host ;  Grace  took  the  seat  at  his  right,  with  Jack  and 
Rose  opposite. 

The  ladies  were  radiant  in  evening  costume,  and 
Sedgwick  with  a  mighty  effort  threw  off  the  depres 
sion  which  had  burdened  the  day  and  appeared  at  his 
very  best. 

Mrs.  Hamlin,  judging  shrewdly  that  perhaps  it 
would  relieve  the  stranger  from  embarrassment  to 
engage  him  in  conversation,  with  beautiful  tact 
brought  him  to  tell  the  company  of  his  own  country, 
remarking  that  "We  insular  people  have  but  a  vague 
idea  at  best  of  America." 

With  a  smile,  Sedgwick  replied  :  "  I  do  not  know 
very  much  myself  of  my  native  country,  for  since  I 
left  school  (here  he  glanced  at  Jack  and  his  eyes 
twinkled)  I  merely  wandered  slowly  through  the 
southwestern  States,  almost  to  the  Gulf  in  Texas, 
then  bending  north  and  west  again,  continued  until  I 
reached  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierras,  and  then 
made  a  dive  underground  and  remained  there  until 
Jack  determined  to  go  home,  and  I  came  along  to 
take  care  of  him." 

Here  Miss  Jenvie  interposed  and  said  :  "  What  was 
the  most  precious  thing  you  ever  found  in  the  mines. 
Mr.  Sedgwick  ?  " 

o 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  73 

"  Considering  who  asked  the  question,  it  would  be 
cruel  not  to  tell  you  it  was  Jack,"  he  replied. 

All  laughed,  and  Miss  Jen  vie  said  :  "  Is  it  true,  did 
you  and  Jack  first  meet  underground  ?  " 

"  Indeed  we  did,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  and  we  were 
neither  of  us  handsomely  attired.  I  thought  he  was 
a  gnome  ;  he  thought  me  a  Chinese  dragon." 

Then  Miss  Grace  interposed  ;  "  Mr.  Sedgwick," 
said  she,  "  is  not  Texas  a  land  where  there  are  a  great 
many  cattle  ?  " 

"  Millions  of  them,"  was  the  reply. 

"  And  is  not  that  the  region  where  the  cowboy  is 
also  found?"  she  continued. 

"  There  are  a  few  there,  surely,"  said  Sedgwick,  and 
looking  across  the  table  he  saw  a  smile  on  Jack's 
face. 

"  They  are  good  riders  and  good  shots,  are  they 
not  ?"  Grace  asked. 

"  Some  of  them  ride  well,  and  nearly  all  of  them 
shoot  well,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  I  would  like  to  go  there,"  said  Grace,  impetuous 
ly  ;  "  it  must  be  a  jolly  life."  Then  looking  at  her 
mother,  she  laughed  gaily  and  said  :  "  If  ever  one  of 
those  cowboys,  with  broad  hat  and  jingling  spurs, 
comes  this  way,  you  had  better  lock  the  doors, 
mamma,  if  you  want  to  keep  me." 

Sedgwick  kept  a  steady  face,  but  his  heart  was 
throbbing  so  that  he  feared  the  company  would  hear 
it. 

Then  Jenvie  asked  Sedgwick  if  mining  in  Nevada 
was  not  mostly  carried  on  by  rough  and  rude  men. 


74  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Sedgwick's  face  became  grave  in  a  moment,  as  he 
said  :  "  We  must  judge  men  by  the  motives  behind 
their  lives,  if  we  would  get  at  what  they  really  are. 
There  are  married  men  and  single  men  at  work  in  the 
mines.  The  married  men  have  wives  and  little  chil 
dren  to  support.  They  wish  to  have  their  dear  ones 
fed  and  clothed  as  well  as  other  generous  people  feed 
and  clothe  their  families.  They  want  their  children 
educated.  They  have,  moreover,  all  around  them 
examples  of  rich  men  who  a  year  or  five  years  previous 
were  as  humble  and  poor  as  they  now  are.  The  young 
men  have  hopes  quite  as  sweet,  purposes  quite  as 
high.  This  one  is  to  build  up  a  little  fortune  for 
some  one  he  loves  ;  this  one  has  a  home  in  his  mind's 
eye  which  he  means  to  purchase ;  this  one  has  rela 
tives  whom  he  dreams  of  making  happy,  while  others 
have  visions  of  honors  and  fame,  so  soon  as  something 
which  is  in  their  thoughts  shall  materialize. 

"  Then  the  occupation  itself  and  the  results  have  a 
tendency,  I  think,  to  exalt  men.  To  begin  with,  the 
work  is  a  steady  struggle  anainst  nature's  tremendous 
forces.  The  rock  has  to  be  blasted,  the  waters  con 
trolled,  the  consuming  heat  tempered,  the  swelling 
clay  confined,  and  to  do  this  men  have  to  employ 
great  agents.  A  silver  mine  generally  has  Desolation 
placed  as  a  watch  above  it.  To  work  it  everything 
has  to  be  carried  to  it.  The  forest  away  off  on  some 
mountain  side  has  to  be  felled  and  hauled  to  the  spot. 
For  many  months  the  great  Bonanza  has  received 
within  it  monthly  3,000,000  feet  of  timbers,  machinery 
equal  to  that  in  the  holds  of  mighty  steamships  has  to 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  75 

be  set  in  place  and  motion;  drills  are  kept  at  work 
2,000  feet  underground,  from  power  supplied  on  the 
surface  ;  hundreds  of  men  have  to  be  daily  hoisted  from 
and  lowered  into  the  depths  ;  there  has  to  be  a  pre 
cision  and  continuity  that  never  fail,  and  the  men 
who  plan  and  carry  on  that  work  emerge  from  it  after 
a  few  years  stronger,  brighter,  clearer-brained  and 
braver  men  than  they  ever  would  have  been  except  for 
that  discipline. 

"  Then  what  they  produce  is  something  which  makes 
the  labor  of  every  other  man  more  profitable,  for  it  is 
something  which  is  the  measure  of  values,  something 
which  all  races  of  men  recognize  at  once,  something 
indestructible  and  peculiarly  precious,  which  can  be 
drawn  into  a  thread-like  silk,  or  hammered  into  a 
leaf  so  thin  that  a  breath  will  carry  it  away  ;  it  is  the 
very  spirit  of  the  rock,  the  part  that  is  imperishable. 
Moreover,  it  is  labor  made  immortal,  for,  tried  by 
fire,  it  grows  bright  and  loses  no  grain  of  its  weight. 
Could  we  find  a  piece  of  the  beaten  gold  that  overlaid 
the  temple  of  Israel's  greatest  king,  it  would,  to-day, 
represent  the  labor  of  one  of  those  miners  that  toiled 
in  Ophir  and  fell  back  to  dust  thirty  generations 
before  the  Christ  was  born. 

"  Moreover,  it  is  and  has  been  from  the  first  one  of 
the  measures  of  the  civilization  of  nations.  Where 
gold  and  silver  are  in  general  circulation  among  the 
people  they  are  always  prosperous,  their  children  are 
always  educated,  and  the  advance  is  so  marked  that 
it  can  be  measured  by  decades  of  years.  A  nation's 
decay  or  enlightenment  can  be  traced  by  the  decreas- 


76  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ing  or  increasing  volume  of  gold  and  silver  in  circu 
lation. 

"  Miners  thus  engrossed,  producing  such  a  sub 
stance,  and  carrying  such  hopes  and  aspirations  in 
their  souls,  as  a  rule,  grow  stronger,  more  manly  and 
more  true. 

"  I  do  not  say  that  there  are  not  many  rough  char 
acters  among  them.  I  do  not  say  that  when  the 
influence  of  true  women  is  in  great  part  withdrawn 
from  any  class  of  men,  they  do  not  more  and  more 
gravitate  toward  savagery,  for  they  but  follow  a  nat 
ural  law;  but  the  tenderest,  truest,  bravest,  best,  most 
generous  and  most  just  men  I  have  ever  known  have 
been  miners  in  the  far  West  of  the  United  States." 

While  talking,  Sedgwick  had  seemed  to  forget 
where  he  was,  but  as  he  ceased  he  glanced  across  the 
table  and  noticed  a  look  of  full  appreciation  on  Rose's 
face,  and  smiling,  he  added  :  "  I  was  talking  for 
Jack's  sake,  Miss  Rose." 

It  was  a  pleasant  dinner,  and  a  pleasant  evening 
followed.  There  was  a  running  fire  of  conversation, 
broken  only  when  the  young  ladies  sang  or  played. 
When  Sedgwick  first  heard  Grace  sing,  he  sat,  as  he 
said  afterward,  "  in  mortal  terror  lest  wings  should 
spread  out  from  her  white  shoulders  and  she  should 
disappear  through  the  ceiling." 

In  point  of  fact,  she  sang  well,  but  she  was  not 
nearly  ethereal  enough  to  want  to  give  up  the  sub 
stantial  earth  to  take  to  the  ether. 

But  amid  all  the  contending  emotions,  Sedgwick 
kept  a  furtive  watch  upon  the  two  old  men.  They 


THE    WFDGE    OF    GOLD  77 

exceedingly  gracious,  but  they  gave  Sedgwick 
the  impression  that  they  were  striving  too  hard  to  be 
agreeable. 

Jack  was  in  the  seventh  heaven.  He  tried  to  con 
ceal  his  joy,  but  every  moment  he  would  glance  at  Rose 
Jenvie  with  a  look  in  his  eyes  which  was  enough  to 
show  any  miner  where  his  bonanza  was.  Sedgwick 
was  wildly  smitten,  himself,  but  he  kept  his  wits 
about  him  enough  to  watch  and  try  to  fathom  what 
in  the  bearing  of  the  old  men  for  some  inexplainable 
reason  disturbed  him. 

When  the  company  separated  and  sought  their 
respective  apartments,  Jack  went  to  his  own  room, 
threw  off  his  coat,  put  on  slippers  and  lighted  a  cigar, 
crossed  the  hall,  first  tapped  upon  the  door  of 
Sedgwick's  room,  then  pushed  it  open,  walked  in, 
closed  the  door,  and  then  burst  out  with  "Jim,  is  she 
not  a  glory  of  the  earth  ?  " 

"  I  think  she  is,  indeed,"  was  the  reply.  Sedgwick 
was  thinking  of  Grace. 

"  Is  there  another  such  girl  in  all  the  world,  Jim  ?  " 
said  Jack. 

"  I  don't  believe  there  is,  old  boy;  not  another 
one,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  What  a  queenly  head  she  has  !  What  a  throat 
of  snow  !  What  an  infinite  grace  !  '  Whether  she 
sits  or  stands  or  walks  or  whatever  thing  she  does,' 
she  is  divine,"  said  Jack. 

"  She  impressed  me  just  that  way,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Not  too  short,  not  too  tall,  with  just  enough  flesh 


78  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

and  blood  to  keep  one  in  mind  that  while  she  is  di 
vine,  she  is  still  a  woman,"  said  Jack. 

"  Only  base  metal  enough  to  hold  the  precious 
metal  in  place,"  said  Sedgwick. 

So  Jack  rattled  on  in  the  very  ecstasy  of  his  love, 
and  so  Sedgwick,  quite  as  deeply  involved,  replied; 
the  one  talking  of  Rose,  the  other  of  Grace. 

At  length,  however,  Sedgwick  roused  himself  and 
said:  "  Jack,  old  boy,  tell  me  how  the  old  men 
received  you." 

"  With  open  arms,"  said  Jack.  "  My  stepfather 
grasped  both  my  hands,  said  he  was  hasty  in  banish 
ing  me  as  he  did,  that  his  heart  had  been  filled  with 
remorse  ever  since,  that  he  had  sought  in  vain  to  find 
me.  And  old  man  Jen  vie,  with  a  hearty  welcome  and 
jolly  laugh,  declared  that  I  served  him  exactly  right 
when  I  floored  him  ;  that  it  had  made  a  better  man  of 
him  ever  since,  and  that  he  was  glad  to  welcome  me 
back  to  England." 

Sedgwick  listened,  and  when  Jack  ceased  speaking- 
there  was  silence  for  a  full  minute,  until  Jack  said: 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  Jim  ?  " 

"  Nothing  much,"  said  Sedgwick;  "only,  Jack,  I 
have  changed  my  mind.  I  will  stay  and  help  you 
through  the  wedding;  only  hurry  it  along  as  swiftly 
as  you  conveniently  can." 

"There  is  something  on  your  mind,  Jim,"  said 
Jack.  "  What  is  it,  old  friend  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  Jack;  nothing  but  a  mean  suspicion,  for 
which  I  can  give  myself  no  tangible  excuse  for  enter 
taining,"  asked  Sedgwick. 


THE    WEDGE   OF    GOLD.  79 

*'  Suspicion,  Jim!  Which  way  do  the  indications 
lead  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

"  I  will  tell  you,  old  friend.  In  Nevada  we  would 
say  that  these  old  men  are  too  infernally  gushing  in 
their  welcome  to  you.  I  fear  there  is  something 
wrong  behind  it  all;  though,  as  I  said,  it  is  a  mere 
suspicion  which  I  cannot  explain  to  myself;  only, 
Jack,  I  will  stay  to  the  wedding,  and  be  sure  to  give 
no  hint  to  any  soul  in  England  that  I  have  more 
than  money  enough  to  make  a  brief  visit,  and  then  to 
return  to  America.  And  do  not  permit  what  I  have 
said  to  worry  you,  for  I  have  no  backing  for  my  im 


pressions." 


Then  Jack  went  to  his  room  to  sleep  and  to  dream 
of  Rose  Jenvie,  and  Jim  went  to  bed,  not  to  sleep, 
but  to  think  of  Grace  Meredith. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WAYS    THAT    ARE    DARK. 

As  we  know,  Sedgwick  went  first  with  Browning" 
to  the  hamlet  in  Devonshire  where  Jack's  early  home 
had  been.  Browning  was  recognized,  of  course. 
An  old  friend  of  Hamlin's  was  at  the  church,  spoke 
to  Jack,  and  witnessed  Sedgwick's  encounter  with  the 
bull.  He  knew  under  what  circumstances  young 
Browning  left  home,  and  so  on  that  Sunday  evening 
he  wrote  to  Hamlin  that  his  stepson  was  in  Devon 
shire,  told  him  of  the  episode  at  the  church,  and 
informed  the  old  man  that  the  companion  of  his  son, 
though  a  quiet  and  refined-appearing  man  enough, 
must  be  a  prize-fighter  in  disguise.  He  further  stated 
that  Jack  had  told  him  that  he  and  his  friend  had 
been  working  in  the  mines  at  Virginia  City,  Nevada, 
for  three  or  four  years.  He  added  the  strong  sus 
picion  that  the  complexion  of  the  men  indicated  that 
they  had  not  been  in  the  mines  at  all.  (His  idea  of 
a  miner  was  a  coal-miner,  and  not  one  from  the  Com- 
.stock  mine,  where  there  is  no  coal  dust,  and  where 
the  thermometer  indicates  a  tropical  climate  always.) 

This  letter  reached  Hamlin  early  on  Monday. 
Being  a  half  banker  and  half  broker  himself,  he  turned 
at  once  to  the  page  in  the  bank  directory,  giving 
American  banks  and  their  London  connections.  He 
found  the  Nevada  branch  bank  and  California  branch 
bank  of  Virginia  City,  and  what  banks  in  London 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  8 1 

they  drew  upon,  and  hastened  first  to  the  Nevada 
bank's  London  agency.  He  could  obtain  no  news 
there.  Then  he  sought  the  other,  and  knowing  the 

o  o 

management,  he  explained  to  one  of  the  directors 
that  his  son  was  on  the  way  home,  was  already  in 
England,  and  asked  him  confidentially,  both  as  a 
father  and  a  brother  banker,  whether  any  credit  had 
come  for  the  boy.  The  director  ran  over  his  corres 
pondence,  and,  looking  up  with  a  smile,  said: 

"  Is  your  son's  name  John  Browning  ?  If  it  is,  he 
has  bills  of  exchange  upon  us  for  ^100,000." 

The  old  man  was  paralyzed.  "  It  cannot  be  possi 
ble/'  he  said.  "  Great  heavens  !  ,£100,000!" 

"  Those  are  the  figures  sent  us,"  said  the  cashier, 
"and  we  received  a  mighty  invoice  of  Nevada  bullion 
by  the  last  ship  from  New  York.  There  is  no 
mistake." 

Then  an  effort  was  made  to  see  if  another  man 
named  Sedgwick  had  any  credit,  but  nothing  was 
found.  Enjoining  upon  the  banker  the  utmost 
secrecy  in  regard  to  his  being  at  the  bank,  the  old 
man  went  away. 

The  question  with  him  was  what  to  do.  His 
business  was  not  very  prosperous,  because  he  had  not 
capital  enough.  Then,  too,  he  was  in  debt  to  Jenvie. 
He  wanted  the  lion's  share  of  that  money,  and,  more 
than  ever,  he  wanted  Jack  to  marry  Grace. 

Then  what  did  Jack  mean  by  bringing  a  prize 
fighter  home  with  him  ?  He  was  worried.  Finally 
he  determined  to  consult  with  Jenvie,  his  partner. 
He  knew  he  did  not  like  Jack,  and  he  had,  moreover, 


82  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

received  hints  from  him  that  he  was  getting  along 
well  in  making  a  match  between  Rose  and  a  rich 
broker  named  Arthur  Stetson,  who  had  met  her  and 
been  carried  away  by  her  beauty. 

So,  calling  Jenvie  into  their  most  private  office, 
Hamlim  bolted  the  door  to  prevent  interruption,  read 
him  the  letter  received  from  Devonshire,  and  told 
him  of  the  astounding  discovery  he  had  made  at  the 
bank.  The  question  was,  what  course  to 
take. 

"I  believe  Rose  likes  Jack,"  said  Jenvie.  "  She 
grieved  exceedingly  when  he  went  away,  though  she 
hid  it  so  superbly  that  only  her  mother  knew  about 
it,  and  she  has  rejected  every  suitor  since  except  Stet 
son,  and  I  fear  when  the  climax  comes  she  will  reject 
him.  The  chances  are,  when  Jack  comes  they  will 
rush  into  each  other's  arms.  At  the  same  time,  I  do 
not  want  him  for  a  son-in-law.  But  I  would  like  to 
get  some  of  the  money  into  the  firm,  for  we  need 
more  capital  badly." 

They  plotted  all  that  day,  and  next  morning  decided 
that  on  the  arrival  of  Jack  they  would  welcome  him  ; 
let  the  matter  between  him  and  Rose  take  its  course, 
but  in  case  of  an  engagement  would  prevent  an 
immediate  marriage,  if  possible,  and  see,  in  the  mean 
time,  what  could  be  done  toward  working  Jack  for  a 
part,  at  least,  of  his  money.  With  that  arrangement 
decided  upon,  when  a  message  came  from  Hamlin's 
home  that  Jack  had  returned  and  had  gone  to  the 
hotel,  they  were  ready,  and  in  company  went  to  greet 
him  and  escort  him  home. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  83 

Sedgwick  had  to  be  invited  also,  and  that  suited 
them,  for  they  both  desired  to  know  what  kind  of  a 
man  he  was.  Both  were  satisfied,  too,  that  he  had 
no  money,  or  he  would  have  obtained  a  credit  where 
Jack  had  obtained  his  exchange.  When,  at  the  first 
dinner,  Grace  had  drawn  from  him  that  he  had  been 
in  Texas  and  had  seen  cowboys,  they  both  guessed 
where  he  had  caught  the  trick  which  he  had  put  in 
practice  in  Devonshire,  and,  thenceforth,  save  as  a 
careless  friend  that  careless  Jack  had  picked  up,  they 
dropped  Sedgwick  from  their  calculations. 

How  Jack  got  his  money  was  the  greatest  mystery; 
and  so  a  few  days  after  his  coming,  his  father  said  to 
him:  "Jack,  I  hope  you  have  come  home  to  stay. 
Look  around  and  find  some  business  that  you  think 
will  suit  you,  and  I  will  buy  it  for  you  if  it  does  not 
take  too  much  money." 

"Thanks,  father,"  said  Jack;  "  much  obliged,  but  I 
have  a  few  pounds  of  my  own." 

"  How  much  are  miner's  wages  in  Virginia  City  ?  " 
asked  the  old  man. 

"  Four  dollars  a  day  ;  about  twenty-four  pounds  a 
month,"  said  Jack. 

"  And  what  are  the  expenses  ?"  was  the  next  ques 
tion. 

"  Four  shillings  a  day  for  board  ;  three  pounds  per 
month  for  a  room,  and  clothes  and  cigars  to  any 
amount  you  please,"  said  Jack. 

"  Why,  you  could  not  have  saved  more  than  ,£150 
or  £160  per  annum  at  those  rates,"  said  the  old 
man. 


84  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  No,"  said  Jack;  "  a  good  many  may  not  do  as 
well  as  that ;  but  I  had  a  few  pounds  which  were 
invested  by  a  friend  in  Con-Virginia  when  it  was  three 
dollars  a  share,  and  it  was  sold  when  it  was  worth  a 
good  bit  more." 

The  old  man  had  learned  the  secret.  He  asked  one 
more  question.  "  Did  your  friend  Sedgwick  do  as 
well  as  you  did  ? " 

Jack  thought  of  Sedgwick's  injunction,  so  answered: 

"  He  made  a  good  bit  of  money,  something  like 
^"20,000,  but  he  turned  it  over  to  his  father  in  Ohio. 
I  think  the  plan  is  to  buy  a  place  near  the  old  home. 
He  only  brought  a  few  hundred  pounds  with  him. 
Indeed,  he  only  ran  over  to  oblige  me.  We  were  old 
friends  ;  at  one  time  we  worked  on  the  same  shift  in 
the  mine." 

The  old  man  was  satisfied.  Moreover,  he  saw  his 
opportunity. 

4<  What  a  wonderful  business  that  mining  is,"  he 
^said.  "Stetson,  the  broker  over  the  way,  is  promot 
ing  a  mining  enterprise  in  South  Africa.  According 
to  the  showing,  it  is  an  immense  property.  Here  is 
the  prospectus  of  the  company.  Put  it  in  your 
.pocket,  and  at  your  leisure  run  over  it." 

Jack  carelessly  put  the  pamphlet  in  his  pocket. 
That  evening  he  was  with  Rose  and  remained  pretty 
late.  When  he  sought  his  room  he  could  not  sleep, 
so  he  ran  over  the  statement.  It  was  a  captivating 
:  showing.  The  mine  was  called  the  "Wedge  of  Gold." 
.It  was  located  in  the  Transvaal.  The  main  ledge  was 
fully  sixteen  feet  wide,  with  an  easy  average  value  of 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  85 

six  pounds  per  ton  in  free  gold,  besides  deposits  and 
spurs  that  went  much  higher.  The  vein  was  exposed 
for  several  hundred  feet,  and  opened  by  a  shaft  300 
feet  deep,  with  long  drifts  on  each  of  the  levels.  The 
country  was  healthy,  supplies  cheap,  plenty  of  good 
wood  and  water,  and  the  only  thing  needed  was  a 
mill  for  reducing  the  ore.  The  incorporation  called 
for  1 50,000  shares  of  stock  of  the  par  value  of  one 
pound  per  share,  and  the  pamphlet  explained  that 
50,000  shares  were  set  aside  to  be  sold  to  raise  means 
for  a  working  capital,  to  build  the  mill,  etc. 

Browning  read  the  paper  over  twice,  then  tumbled 
into  bed,  and  his  dreams  were  all  mixed  up  ;  part  of 
the  time  he  was  counting  gold  bars,  part  of  the  time- 
it  seemed  to  him  that  Rose  was  near  him,  but  when 
he  spoke  to  her,  every  time  she  vanished  away. 
Between  the  visions  he  made  the  worst  kind  of  a 
night  of  it,  and  next  morning  told  Jim  that  he  was 
more  beat  out  than  ever  he  was  when  he  came  off 
shift  on  the  Comstock. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOW    MINERS    ARE    CAUGHT. 

Browning  and  Sedgwick  had  been  in  England  two 
weeks.  The  question  of  the  marriage  of  Browning 
and  Rose  Jenvie  had  been  discussed  and  decided 
upon.  Neither  Hamlin  nor  Jenvie  had  interposed 
any  objection  to  the  marriage  except  on  the  point  of 
time.  They  asked,  at  first,  that  it  be  postponed  for 
six  months,  as  Jenvie  insisted  that  he  wanted  to  be 
certain  that  Rose  had  not  been  carried  away  by  a 
mere  impulse  on  seeing  once  more  an  old  friend  who 
had  long  been  absent.  Hamlin  agreed  with  him  that 
the  young  people  must  be  sure  not  to  make  any  mis 
take.  Jack  was  impetuous,  and  Rose,  while  making 
no  pronounced  opposition,  quietly  said  that  no  tests 
were  necessary;  that  she  and  Jack  had  been  separated 
for  a  long  time  and  knew  their  own  minds.  Sedg 
wick,  when  called  in,  refused  to  express  an  opinion, 
it  being  a  matter  too  sacred  to  permit  of  any  outside 
interference. 

,  Finally  a  compromise  was  made,  the  time  reduced 
one-half,  and  the  date  fixed  for  the  first  of  September, 
it  being  then  nearly  the  first  of  June.  Jack  had  only 
agreed  to  the  postponement  on  the  condition  that 
Sedgwick  should  not  desert  him,  but  wait  for  the 
wedding.  He  consented,  saying  carelessly  that  two 
or  three  months  would  not  much  matter  to  him,  but 
the  truth  was  that  the  delay  urged  by  the  old  men 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  87 

strengthened  his  suspicion  that  all  was  not  just  right. 
"  Those  old  chaps  are  too  sweet  by  half,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  There  is  some  game  on  hand  to  get  the 
best  of  generous,  simple-hearted,  unsuspecting  Jack, 
sure,  and  while  I  cannot  fathom  it  I  will  keep  watch." 

Then,  there  was  the  enchantment  that  Grace  Mer 
edith  had  woven  around  his  life.  Every  morning  she 
greeted  him  with  a  smile,  a  welcome  word  and  a 
hand-clasp  that  set  his  blood  tingling.  Her  breath 
was  in  the  air  that  he  breathed,  and  when  at  night 
the  hand-clasp  and  the  smile  were  repeated,  and  the 
good-nights  spoken,  it  all  fell  upon  him  like  a  bene 
diction;  and,  going  to  his  apartment,  he  would  ask 
himself  what  his  life  would  be  were  the  smile,  the 
word,  and  the  hand-clasp  to  be  his  no  more. 

After  a  few  days  there  came  a  change  in  Grace. 
She  was  as  cordial  as  ever,  as  gently  considerate  as 
ever,  but  she  seemed  to  lose  vivacity.  She  was  often 
lost  in  revery  ;  a  sadder  smile  seemed  to  give  expres 
sion  to  her  face  ;  she  did  not  laugh  with  the  old  ring 
ing  laugh  ;  there  seemed  to  come  in  her  look  when 
she  suddenly  encountered  Sedgwick,  something  which 
was  the  opposite  of  a  blush — as  opposite  as  the  white 
rose  is  to  the  blush  rose. 

In  those  days  the  steady  conscience  of  Sedgwick 
was  undergoing  many  self-questionings.  Should  he 
offer  his  love  and  be  rejected,  what  then  ?  Should 
the  impossible  happen  and  he  should  be  accepted, 
what  then  ?  Should  he  carry  the  petted  London 
girl  to  his  home  and  friends  in  the  Miami  Valley, 
would  there  not  be  reproaches  felt  even  if  not  spoken  ? 


88  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Thus  he  vexed  himself  day  after  day  ;  night  after 
night  he  tossed  restlessly,  and  saw  no  way  to  break 
the  entanglement  that  had  entwined  his  life.  But  he 
kept  watch  of  Jack  and  the  old  men. 

Meanwhile,  Jack  had  read  over  and  over  the  pros 
pectus  of  the  "  Wedge  of  Gold"  Mining  Company. 
It  was  the  lamp  and  he  was  the  moth  that  was  cir 
cling  around  it  with  constantly  lessening  circles.  His 
father,  to  whom  he  had  applied  for  information,  told 
him  that  he  believed  the  shares  were  going  at  one 
pound,  but  that  they  threatened  to  be  higher  within 
a  week,  and  Jenvie,  taking  up  the  conversation,  ex 
plained  that,  with  a  mill  built,  the  mine  would  easily 
pay  sixty  per  cent  on  the  investment  annually,  which 
would  throw  the  shares  up  to  at  least  twenty 
pounds.  At  the  same  time  both  the  old  men  referred 
Jack  to  Stetson  for  full  particulars,  as  they  had  no 
direct  interest  in  the  property. 

After  a  few  days  more,  the  mail  from  South  Africa 
brought  a  glowing  account  of  further  developments 
in  "The  Wedge  of  Gold,"  which  account  found  its 
way  into  the  papers,  and  one  was  put  where  Jack 
would  read  it.  He  had  not  consulted  with  Sedgwick. 
His  idea  was  to  make  an  investment,  and  when  the 
profits  began  to  come  in,  to  divide  with  him. 

So  one  morning  he  went  to  the  office  of  Stetson 
and  said  to  the  young  man  :  "  I  have  concluded  to 
take  the  working  capital  stock  of  the  '  Wedge  of 
Gold;'  and  sitting  down  he  gave  his  check  for 
^50,000.  The  stock  for  him  would  be  ready,  he  was 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  89 

informed,  the  next  day,   so  soon  as  it  could  be  prop 
erly  transferred. 

He  went  out.  The  real  owner  of  the  property  was 
sent  for ;  the  property  was  bought  for  ,£2,000  ;  the 
deed,  which  had  been  put  in  escrow,  and  which  on  its 
face  called  for  ,£150,000,  was  taken  up,  releasing  the 
stock,  and  then  the  old  men  and  the  young  man 
rubbed  their  hands  and  said  to  each  other  that  it  had 
been  a  good  day's  work. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ENCHANTMENT. 

Sedgwick  and  Browning  had  now  been  several  days 
in  London.  Every  day  they  had  been  riding  and 
driving — seeing  the  sights.  One  morning  at  break 
fast  Jack  mentioned  that  it  was  Tuesday;  that  next 
day  would  be  the  annual  celebrated  Derby  Wednes 
day;  that  he  had  made  arrangements  for  as  many  to 
go  as  could  get  away.  The  number  was  finally  lim 
ited  to  four — Grace  and  Rose,  Jack  and  Jim. 

This  was  talked  over,  and  so  soon  as  the  arrange 
ments  were  determined  upon,  Jack  proposed  that 
when  the  race  should  be  over,  instead  of  coming  back 
to  London,  they  should  go  on  beyond  Surrey,  down 
to  the  seashore  in  Sussex,  where  an  old  uncle  of 
Rose's  resided,  for  a  few  days'  visit.  This  was,  after 
some  discussion,  agreed  upon;  whereupon  Jack  rose 
and  went  out  to  make  a  few  needed  little  preparations; 
the  young  ladies  followed  to  do  some  shopping,  while 
Sedgwick  went  to  his  room  to  write  some  letters. 

He  finished  his  letters  and  was  going  out,  when  he 
met  Mrs.  Hamlin  in  the  hall.  She  greeted  him  and 
asked  him  to  sit  down  a  moment,  saying  she  wanted 
to  talk  with  him.  He  swunor  a  chair  around  for  Mrs. 

o 

Hamlin,  and  when  she  was  seated  he  took  another 
chair  opposite,  saying:  "  Is  there  anything  particular 
this  morning,  madam,  which  you  desire  to  talk 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  91 

about  ? "  The  old  lady  looked  at  him  a  moment, 
then  said: 

"  Mr.  Sedgwick,  I  have  noticed  that  since  you 
came  to  my  house  you  seem  to  be  worried,  as  though 
this  London  roar  and  confusion  oppressed  you;  and 
I  have  seen  a  look  on  your  face  sometimes,  which,  it 
seemed  to  me,  if  set  to  words  would  say :  *  I  would 
give  anything  in  the  world  to  be  out  of  this  and  back 
once  more  free  in  my  native  land.'  It  worries  me, 
and  I  want  to  ask  you  if  something  cannot  be  done 
to  make  your  life  here  more  pleasant." 

"  Why,  my  dear  madam,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  I  never 
was  half  so  kindly  entertained  before  as  I  have  been 
in  your  house.  There  is  nothing  lacking,  nothing  ; 
and  when  I  think  of  ever  returning  all  this  kindness 
my  gratitude  is  made  bankrupt." 

"  Still,  you  have  something  on  your  mind.  Is  it  a 
business  trouble  ?  Will  you  not  test  our  friendship 
in  real  truth  ?  "  asked  the  lady. 

Sedgwick  looked  at  her  seriously  a  moment,  and 
said  :  "  I  have  something,  but  it  is  not  business,  that 
distresses  me.  But,  were  I  to  tell  you,  it  would  test 
your  friendship  indeed." 

"  Well,"  responded  the  lady,  "  I  want  to  know  it.  I 
hope  we  can  help  you." 

11  Mrs.   Hamlin,"   said  Sedsfwick,  "  I  was  reared  a 

o 

farmer's  son.  I  was  a  wild  boy,  I  guess.  I  left 
school  with  education  not  yet  completed — left  under 
a  cloud,  but  no  disgrace  attached  to  my  leaving.  I 
went  to  Texas  and  was  a  cowboy  for  a  year.  From 
there  I  wandered  west,  learned  the  occupation  of 


Q2  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

mining  ;  for  four  years  almost  every  day  I  have  been 
underground.  I  met  Jack:  we  were  friends;  how 
close  at  last  you  do  not  know.  We  started  east  ;  he 
accompanied  me  to  my  childhood's  home.  After  a 
brief  visit  I  came  with  him  to  his.  I  have  been  three 
weeks  under  your  roof ;  I  am  bound  by  a  promise  to 
remain  until  Jack's  marriage,  and,  in  the  meantime, 
in  spite  of  myself,  I,  the  farmer,  the  cowboy,  and  the 
miner,  have  dared  to  look  upon  your  daughter,  and 
my  soul  is  groveling  at  her  feet.  I  love  her  with 
such  intensity  that  I  have  feared  sometimes  I  should 
break  down  and  beseech  her  to  have  pity  on  me. 
Now  you  have  it  all.  Tell  me,  I  pray,  how  I  can  be 
true  to  myself  and  to  the  hospitality  which  you  have 
extended  me  until  Jack  shall  be  married  and  I  can 
return  to  my  native  land  !" 

When  he  once  had  begun,  his  words  were  poured 
out  in  a  torrent;  his  face  was  pale  ;  he  trembled,  and 
his  breath  came  in  half  gasps. 

Mrs.  Hamlin  was  silent  a  moment.  Then,  looking 
up,  she  said:  "  Have  you  spoken  of  this  to  Jack  ?  " 

"  Not  one  word,"  he  replied. 

"  Or  to  Grace?" 

"  O,  Mrs.  Hamlin,  believe  me,  not  one  word." 

The  lady  leaned  her  head  upon  her  hand  for  a  few 
moments.  Then,  looking  up,  she  said:  "  You  ask  me 
what  to  do.  I  cannot  help  you.  But  my  judgment 
would  be  that  you  go  directly  to  Grace  and  ask  her 
help.  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  her  sentiments 
toward  you,  but  if  she  does  not  care  for  you  and 
thinks  she  never  can,  she  will  frankly  tell  you.  If 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  93 

she   does   love  you,  she   is   probably  suffering   more 
than  you  are." 

"  O,  Mrs.  Hamlin,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  are  you  willing 
that  I  shall  speak  to  her,  that  I  shall  tell  her  how 
much  she  is  to  me  ?" 

"  Quite  willing,"  was  the  answer,  spoken  after  a 
moment's  thought.  "  Believe  me,  I  never  suspected 
anything  of  this  kind,  never  in  the  least,  or  I  should 
not  have  stopped  you  here  ;  but  if  Grace  loves  you  I 
shall  be  most  glad.  And  one  thing  more.  Should 
Grace  be  willing  to  accept  your  attentions,  for  the 
present,  please,  do  not  speak  to  Mr.  Hamlin  or  to 
Jack.  I  have  my  special  reasons  for  making  this 
request.  I  ask  it  because  Mr.  Hamlin  is  peculiar, 
and  Grace  is  my  child,  in  fact,  while  he  is  but  her 
stepfather." 

Then  she  arose,  held  out  her  hand  and  smiled. 
Then  her  face  became  grave,  and  she  leaned  over  the 
young  man,  kissed  his  forehead,  and  left  the  hall. 

When  the  door  closed  Sedgwick  put  his  hands 
before  his  eyes  as  though  to  ward  off  a  great  light ; 
and  when  he  removed  them  his  lips  were  moving  and 
his  face  wore  a  softened  and  exalted  look,  such  as 
Saul's  might  have  worn  after  he  saw  the  "  great  light." 

Dinner  was  hardly  over  that  evening  when  Jack 
disappeared.  He  spent  nearly  all  his  evenings  with 
Rose,  and  so  his  absence  was  not  remarked.  Mr. 
Hamlin  had  been  called  away  to  Scotland  for  two  or 
three  •  days  on  business.  Mrs.  Hamlin,  Grace  and 
Sedgwick  passed  into  the  parlor.  After  a  little  con 
versation,  Sedgwick  asked  Grace  to  sing,  and  as  she 


94  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

went  to  the  piano  Mrs.  Hamlin  arose  and  left  the 
room. 

Grace  struck  the  instrument  softly,  and  in  a 
moment  began  to  sing.  The  piece  she  selected  was 
the  old  one  beginning  : 

"  Could  you  come  back  to  me,  Douglas,  Douglas, 

In  the  old  likeness  that  I  knew, 
I  would  be  so  faithful,  so  loving,  Douglas, 
Douglas,  Douglas,  tender  and  true." 

There  was  a  strange  thrill  in  the  voice  of  Grace  as 
the  song  progressed,  and  when  she  reached  the 
fourth  stanza  and  sang  : 

"I  never  was  worthy  of  you,  Douglas, 

Not  half  worthy  the  like  of  you; 
Now,  all  men  beside  seem  to  me  like  shadows, — 
I  love  you,  Douglas,  tender  and  true," 

the  last  words  ended  in  a  tone  very  much  like  a  sob, 
and  the  singing  ceased. 

Sedgwick  had  risen,  and  walked  to  the  side  of 
Grace  while  she  sang.  When  she  ceased  he  said: 

"  That  is  a  very  touching  song,  Miss  Grace.  Your 
voice  vibrates  in  it  as  though  your  heart  were 
heavy." 

"  It  is,"  she  frankly  answered. 

He  bent  and  took  an  unresisting  hand  and  said: 
"  If  you  are  in  trouble,  may  I  not  try  to  be  your 
comforter  ? " 

She  rose  from  the  piano,  and  looking  up  clear  and 
brave  into  the  eyes  of  the  young  man,  said:  "  You 
are  most  kind,  but  I  cannot  tell  you  why  my  heart  is 
heavy." 

He  looked  down  into  her  eyes  for  a  moment  and 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  95 

then  said:  "  My  heart  is  likewise  heavy,  Miss  Grace; 
may  I  tell  you  why  ?  " 

"  Surely,"  she  answered,  "  if  you  have  a  sorrow, 
and  if  there  is  any  balm  in  this  household,  it  shall  be 
yours." 

He  took  her  other  hand,  and  drawing  her  gently 
toward  him,  said:  "  Come  near  to  me  Miss  Grace. 
I  am  involved  in  a  trouble  which  I  never  dreamed  of 
when  I  came  here.  Mine  has  been  a  harsh  life,  but 
I  have  always  tried  to  meet  my  fate  resignedly.  Now 
I  am  overborne.  Since  the  first  hour  I  met  you,  first 
looked  into  your  divine  face,  first  felt  your  hand 
clasp  and  heard  your  voice,  my  heart  has  been  on 
fire.  You  have  become  my  divinity.  I  worship  you. 
Oh,  Grace,  can  you  give  me  a  thread,  be  it  eveV  so 
slight,  out  of  which  I  may  weave  a  hope  that  some 
time  you  will  bend,  and  sanctify  my  life  by  becoming 
my  wife  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  over  the  pale  face  of  Grace  Meredith 
an  almost  imperceptible  glow  spread,  as  when  an 
incandescent  lamp  is  lighted  under  a  translucent 
shade  ;  her  eyes  grew  moist,  her  lips  quivered,  she 
trembled  in  every  limb,  and,  suddenly  dropping  on 
her  knees,  drew  his  hands  to  her  lips,  kissed  them, 
and  murmured  :  "  O  !  my  king  !  " 

He  caught  her  to  him  and  cried  :  "  Is  it  true  ?  Is 
it  true  ?  Do  you  really  care  for  me  ?  " 

She  looked  up  and  said  :  "  O,  my  blind  darling, 
you  are  so  very,  very  blind  !  My  soul  has  been  call 
ing  to  your  soul  since  the  first  hour  you  came." 

Half  an  hour  later  Grace  looked  up  and  with  a  rav- 


96  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ishing  smile,  said:  ''Do  you  know,  dearest,  I 
believe  all  my  heavy-heartedness  is  gone." 

At  last  Sedgwick  said:  "  My  beautiful,  what  will 
your  friends  say  to  your  marrying  a  rough  miner  ?  " 

11  What,"  replied  she,  "  will  your  friends  say  if  you 
prove  foolish  enough  to  marry  a  simple  English 
girl,  whose  horizon  is  bounded  by  Devonshire  and 
London  ?  " 

His  response  was  :  "  My  adored  one  ! " 

Then  she  crept  nearer  him,  and  with  serious  accent 
said  :  "  My  love,  if  happily  our  lives  shall  be  united, 
whom  will  it  be  for,  our  friends  or  ourselves  ?  I  will 
tell  you.  If  ever  I  shall  be  permitted  to  become  so 
blessed  as  to  be  your  wife,  it  will  be  with  the  thought 
in  my  heart  that  we  are  all  in  all  to  each  other  in  this 
world,  and  in  the  world  to  come." 

"In  this  world  and  in  the  world  to  come/1'  he 
repeated  ;  and  then,  with  bowed  head,  in  a  whisper, 
he  added  :  "  May  I  be  worthy  of  such  a  blessing, 
and  God  spare  to  me  my  idol,  that  I  may  praise  Him 
evermore." 

And  then  they  began  to  talk  in  earnest.  One  hour 
like  that  is  due  to  every  mortal  ;  no  mortal  can  have 
more  than  one  such  an  hour,  no  matter  how  lone 

o 

may  be  his  life. 

Later  they  came  directly  to  the  subject  of  their 
marriage.  They  agreed  that,  if  possible,  it  should 
be  on  the  same  day  that  Jack  and  Rose  should  be 
married.  But  Sedgwick  mentioned  Mrs.  Hamlin's 
desire  that  for  the  present  no  one  should  know  of  his 
love  or  of  hers  (if  it  should  be  returned),  and  said  he 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  97 

believed   it  best   not   to   mention  their  relations  until 
the  wedding  day  of  Rose  and  Jack  drew  near. 

Grace  agreed  with  him,  except  that  Rose  must  be 
told,  saying  she  would  find  it  out  even  if  the  attempt 
were  made  to  conceal  it  from  her,  and  added  :  "  Jack 
and  Rose  are  completely  absorbed  in  each  other. 
They  will  be  with  each  other  most  of  the  time.  My 
father  is  absent  all  day,  and  until  late  at  night.  My 
mother  is  good,  and  will  not  much  disturb  us.  I  can 
look  in  your  eyes  every  day,  kiss  you  sometimes,  and 
feel  your  presence  like  a  robust  spirit  near  me  all  the 
time."  Then,  suddenly  pausing  for  an  instant,  she 
again  broke  out  with,  "  Oh,  how  happy  I  am  ;  it 
seems  as  though  my  heart  would  break  with  its 
ecstasy!  "  and,  springing  up,  she  ran  to  the  piano,  and 
sang  a  song  which  filled  the  room  with  melody,  and 
caused  a  linnet  that  was  asleep  on  her  perch  to  awaken 
and  join  her  trills  to  the  song. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

GOING  TO  EPSOM   DOWNS. 

The  next  morning  early  the  young  couples  started 
for  Epsom  Downs.  Browning  had  engaged  a  carriage 
to  take  them,  and  they  started  a  little  after  daylight. 
Early  as  it  was,  the  procession  which  annually  empties 
London  to  witness  the  great  race  was  in  motion.  There 
had  been  a  slight  shower  the  previous  evening;  every 
bit  of  herbage  was  fresh  and  beautiful  ;  the  day  \vas 
.perfect  and  the  ride  delicious.  When  part  of  the 
distance  had  been  traveled,  Browning,  looking  back, 
said:  "  Grace,  I  believe  I  see  your  destiny  coming." 

"  In  what  form  ?"  asked  Grace,  laughing. 

"  In  a  typical  cowboy,"  said  her  foster  brother. 

Then  all  looked,  and  sure  enough  there,  two  hun 
dred  yards  away,  was  the  broad  hat,  the  nameless 
grace,  the  erect  form,  the  man  straight  as  a  line  from 
his  head  to  his  stirrups,  the  Mexican  saddle,  the 
woven-hair  bridle  with  Spanish  bit;  all  complete 
except  the  horse.  That  was  not  a  steed  of  the  plains, 
but  a  magnificent  hunter.  The  girls  clapped  their 
hands  in  delight,  and  Grace  wished  he  would  "  hurry 
up,"  so  that  they  might  get  a  nearer  view. 

"  Just  then  a  cry  arose  in  the  rear,  and  a  horse 
attached  to  a  broken  vehicle  was  seen  coming,  running 
away  in  the  very  desperation  of  fear. 

The  carriage  was  driven  to  the  side  of  the  road, 
and  both  men  sprang  out.  A  dense  crowd  of  vehi- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  99 

cles,  many  of  them  containing  women  and  children, 
were  just  in  front,  and  the  thought  of  that  mad  horse 
dashing  amon^  them  was  sickening.  But  Sedcnvick 

o  o  o  t> 

cried  out  :  "  Look,  ladies,  quick  !" 

What  they  saw  was  the  hunter  under  a  dead  run, 
his  rider  urging  him  on  apparently,  and  working 
something  in  his  right  hand.  The  harnessed  horse 
was  a  good  one,  but  the  hunter  was  gaining  upon 
him,  and  just  as  the  mad  runaway  was  almost  oppo 
site  the  ladies,  the  right  arm  of  the  rider  of  the 
hunter  made  a  quick  curve,  the  looped  end  of  a  rope 
darted  out  like  a  bird  of  prey  from  the  hand ;  the 
loop  went  over  the  runaway's  head ;  the  hunter  was 
brought  almost  to  a  dead  stop  ;  the  other  animal 
went  up  into  the  air,  then  fell  to  his  knees,  then  over 
on  his  side.  Sedgwick  and  Browning  sprang  to  him, 
unfastened  him  from  the  wreck,  got  the  reins  and 
secured  his  head,  then  took  off  the  lariat,  let  him 
up,  and  tied  him  to  the  hedge  by  the  roadside. 

Browning  first  turned  to  the  stranger  who  was  coil 
ing  up  his  lariat  on  the  saddle's  horn,  and  said : 
"  That  was  a  good  morning's  work,  my  friend  ;  had 
that  mad  horse  crashed  into  the  vehicles  ahead,  he 
would  have  killed  some  one." 

"  I  wur  afeerd  of  that,  stranger,  and  that's  what 
made  me  think  he  orter  be  stopped,"  said  the  horse 
man. 

Sedgwick  wheeled  quickly  round  when  he  heard 
the  man's  voice,  and,  looking  up,  cried:  "Hello, 
Jordan,  how  did  you  leave  the  boys  on  the  Brazos  ?  " 

The  man  gave   one   look  ;  then,  springing  from  his 


IOO  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

horse,  he  rushed  to  Sedgwick,  and  throwing  both 
arms  around  him  broke  out  with  :  "Why,  Jim  ;  bless 
my  broad-horned  heart,  but  I'm  glad  ter  see  yo'!  How 
in  kingdom  cum  did  yo'  get  heah  ?"  Then  he  caught 
both  his  hands  and  wrung  them,  all  the  time  exclaim 
ing  :  "  Blame  me,  but  I'm  glad.  This  is  the  fust 
luck  I've  had  in  the  Kingdom.  Jim,  is  it  sho  nuff 
you  ?"  And  he  danced  like  a  lunatic.  And  Sedg- 
wick,  if  not  quite  so  demonstrative,  was  quite  as  much 
rejoiced. 

When  they  quieted  down  a  little,  Sedgwick  said  : 
"Jordan,  I  have  some  friends  here  whom  I  want  to 
present  to  you." 

His  face  sobered  in  a  moment.  "  I  forgot,  Jim," 
he  said,  "  thet  any  one  war  heah  savin'  ourselves. 
They  must  think  us  two  'scaped  lunertics." 

"  That's  all  right,  Jordan,"  said  Sedgwick,  and  he 
formally  presented  his  friend  to  the  ladies  and  to 
Browning. 

The  ladies  told  him  how  grateful  they  were  that  he 
was  near  to  prevent  any  damage  by  the  fleeing  horse, 
.and  how  glad  they  were  to  see  the  actual  picture  of 
.how  a  wild  horse  is  caught. 

Jordan  blushed  like  a  girl.  "  It  war  nothin',  ladies," 
he  said  ;  "  only  it  seemed  like  it  war  necessawy  sun- 
thin'  should  be  done,  and  right  soon.  So  I  interfeerd 
as  well's  I  could." 

"Where  the  mischief  did  you  get  that  rig,  Jor 
dan  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"I  brung  it  with  me  from  ther  old  ranch  ;  that  is, 
all  but  the  hoss.  I  didn't  know  but  I  mio-hter  want 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  IOI 

ter  ride,  and  I  knowd  I  couldn't  sit  an  English  saddle 
a  minit." 

"And  why  did  you  come  away,  Jordan  ?"  asked 
Sedgwick. 

His  face  saddened  for  a  moment,  and  then  he 
smiled  and  said:  "I  got  tired  of  ranchin',  sold  out ; 
b.tt  why  I  come  here  I've  no  idee,  'cept  it  might  o' 
been  to  stop  that  thar  hoss." 

"  It  was  a  good  idea,  anyway,  and  we  are  all  glad 
you  came,"  said  Rose.  "  We  started  to  see  the  great 
race,  and  we  have  seen  a  greater  one,"  and  she  smiled 
as  she  spoke,  until  the  dark  man  again  colored  and 
said  :  "  Indeed,  Miss,  it  war  nothin'." 

But  the  procession  grew  denser  every  moment ;  so 
Jordan  mounted  his  horse  again  and  rode  beside  the 
carriage,  and  a  running  conversation  was  kept  up  all 
the  way  to  the  great  race  track. 

Jordan  was  exceedingly  interested  in  the  colts  as 
they  were  brought  upon  the  track. 

"They  is  thoroughbreds,  shore.  They  is  beauties,"' 
he  kept  exclaiming  ;  and  as  they  were  stripped  for  the 
race,  he  picked  out  the  one  he  thought  ought  to  win, 
and  offered  to  wager  hats  with  Sedgwick  and  Browning 
and  o-loves  with  the  ladies  that  his  favorite  would  win. 

o 

And  the  colt  he  set  his  heart  upon  came  near 
winning  ;  he  was  third  among  the  eighteen  starters, 
and  to  the  last  Jordan  insisted  that  he  would  have 
won  if  he  had  been  well  ridden. 

"  He  orter  won,"  Jordan  said.  "  The  trouble  war, 
his  jockey  lacks  two  things  ;  he  don't  understand 
hoss  character,  'nd  he  lacks  pluck.  He  never  inter- 


H02  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ested  ther  colt  in  him,  never  rubbed  his  nose  and 
whispered  inter  his  ear  thet  his  heart  would  be 
broke  if  ther  colt  didn't  win  ;  so  ther  colt  only  ran  ter 
please  hisself  'nd  'never  thought  o'  pleasin'  his  rider. 
Then,  from  the  fust,  ther  rider  believed  he  wouldn't 
be  nearer  nor  third,  'nd  ter  do  anything  a  man's  got 
ter  believe  he  ken  make  it.  Menny  a  grand  hoss's 
repertation  has  ben  ruined  by  ther  fool  man  as  has 
bed  him  in  charge,  and  this  war  ther  case  terday." 

Then  he  was  absorbed  in  thought  for  a  moment, 
then  went  on  again  as  though  he  had  not  ceased  : 
"  It  wer  ther  same  with  men.  Ez  often  ez  ever  ther 
best  men  don't  win  ther  prize  ;  meny  er  blood  man  hez 
been  distanced  by  er  mustang." 

The  race  over,  they  all  had  dinner  together,  and 
with  beautiful  tact  the  ladies  kept  Jordan  talking 
most  of  the  time,  and  enjoyed  his  ouaint  sayings 
exceedingly. 

He  had  been  three  months  from  the  United  States  ; 
had  made  one  trip  to  Scotland,  one  to  Wales,  one  to 
Paris,  and  his  impressions  of  the  different  points  and 
the  people  he  had  seen  were  most  vivid  and  unique. 

His  talk  ran  a  little  in  this  vein:  "  Yo'  see,  up  in 
ther  Highlands,  I  looked  fur  the  lakes  and  mountains 
that  yo'  read  to  us  about,  Jim.  There  is  some  fine 
lakes,  but  mountains  !  sho,  we  can  beat  'em  in  Amer 
ica,  all  holler.  And  ez  to  broad  rivers,  why,  ther 
Mississippi  cud  take  um  all  in,  and  wouldn't  know  she 
had  a  reinforcement  ;  while  pour  'um  into  ther  Colo 
rado  gorge  and  they'd  be  spray  afore  they  reached 
ther  bottom.  I  looked  for  ther  pituresk  Highland 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 03 

heroes  in  ther  tartans  and  with  thei    bag-pipes  ;   but 
they  tho't,  I  reckon,  that  I  war  James  Fitz,  and  \vur 
all  ambushed.      But  I  did  see  some  pretty  girls  thar, 
'an  some  powerful  fine  black  cattle.     They  war  fine- 
good  for  twelve  hundred  pounds  neat. 

"  The  blamd'st  thing  I  seen  war  in  Wales.  I  didn't 
see  that,  but  hearn.  That  war  the  language.  It's  a 
jor-breaker,  if  you  har  me.  I  don't  see  how  the 
children  up  thar  learn  it  so  blam'd  young. 

"Paris  is  a  grand  place,  a  genuine  daisy;  but  I 
believe  it  is  wickeder'n  Santa  Fe  wuz  when  the  rush  war 
to  New  Mexico." 

Grace  explained  to  Jordan  that  they  were  going 
down  to  Sussex  to  visit  some  relatives  of  Rose,  and 
begged  him  to  go  along,  and  bespoke  for  him  a 
hearty  welcome. 

"  I'm  greatly  obleeged,  Miss,"  said  Jordan,  "  but  I 
must  beg  yo'  ter  'scuse  me.  I  must  see  my  hoss 
home.  I've  been  ridin'  him  and  teachin'  him  a  few 
things,  like  startin'  and  stoppin,'  for  a  month.  He 
war  wild  when  I  tuk  him  fust,  but  since  he  and  I  got 
'quainted,  we  agree  zactly,  and  I  told  ther  men  as 
own  him  he  should  be  home  ter  night,  and  I  must  take 
him.  I  wouldn't  send  him  by  the  are-apparent  his- 
self.  Besides,  my  society  accomplishments  war  neg 
lected  some'at  when  I  war  young,  and  I  would  rather 
break  y'r  heart,  Miss,  by  declinin'  ter  go,  than  hev  it 
broke  by  my  arkerdness  'mong  y'r  friends." 

But  he  told  Sedgwick  where  he  was  stopping  in 
London,  and  it  was  agreed  that  on  the  return  of  the 
party  to  the  great  city  they  should  see  more  of  each 


IO4  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

other.  So  Jordan  returned  to  London,  and  the 
young  people  took  the  train  fora  little  town  on  the 
coast,  not  far  from  Brighton,  in  Sussex. 

They  found  the  uncle  and  aunt  of  Rose.  A  great 
welcome  was  given  them,  and  four  or  five  days  were 
delightfully  whiled  away. 

A  regiment  of  English  regulars  was  stationed 
there.  Our  party  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  officers 
and  their  families,  and  one  day  a  horseback  ride  into 
the  country  was  proposed  for  the  next  morning. 

It  taxed  the  capacity  of  the  place  to  supply  the 
necessary  animals,  and  one  of  the  horses  brought  up, 
though  a  magnificent  and  powerful  fellow,  was  but 
half  broken  at  best,  and  he  snorted  and  blowed,  and 
reared  and  pawed,  and  took  on  a  great  deal. 

The  company  were  looking  at  him,  and  each  select 
ing  the  horse  that  suited  him  best,  when  Miss  Rose 
said  :  "What  a  pity  that  Mr.  Jordan  did  not  come 
alone  !  He  would  have  selected  that  wild  horse." 

o 

The  colonel  of  the  regiment,  a  portly  man,  and  a 
little  inclined  to  be  pompous,  in  a  peculiarly  English 
tone  said  :  "  Possibly,  you  know,  our  young  Ameri 
can  friend  would  like  to  mount  him." 

Sedcrwick   affected   not   to  notice  the   tone  or  the 
£> 

accent,  and  answered  simply  :  "I  have  ridden  worse- 
looking  horses.  If  I  had  a  Mexican  saddle,  or  one 
of  your  military  saddles,  I  believe  I  should  like  to 
ride  him  ;  but  I  am  a  little  afraid  of  these  things  you 
call  saddles." 

Strangely  enough,  the  officer  thought  the  objection 
to  the  saddle  was  meant  merely  as  an  excuse  to  avoid 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 05 

riding  the  horse,  and  so  he  spoke  up  quickly,  saying  : 
"  The  gentleman  shall  be  accommodated.  I  always 
have  an  extra  saddle  with  me  ;  he  shall  have  that," 
and  gave  his  servant  directions  to  go  and  bring  the 
saddle  and  bridle.  When  they  were  brought,  Sedg- 
wick  looked  at  them,  said  they  would  answer  admira 
bly,  and  throwing  the  trappings  over  his  left  arm, 
went  up  to  the  snorting  horse,  petted  and  soothed 
him,  rubbed  his  nose,  and  talked  low  to  him  a  mo 
ment  ;  then  slipped  the  bridle  on,  then  gently  pushed 
the  saddle  and  trappings  over  his  back ;  made  all 
secure,  and  then,  without  assistance,  mounted  him, 
talking  softlv  to  him  all  the  time. 

o  *  » 

The  horse  made  a  few  bounds,  but  quickly  sub 
sided.  They  were  enough,  however,  to  show  the 
onlookers  that  the  man  on  the  horse  was  sufficient 
for  the  task  he  had  undertaken.  Riding  back,  Sedg- 
wick  dismounted,  still  talking  low  to  the  horse  and 
patting  his  neck,  for,  as  he  explained,  "  The  colt  has 
a  lovely,  honest  face  and  head  ;  he  is  only  timid,  and 
does  not  yet  quite  understand  what  is  wanted  of  him, 
or  whether  it  will  do  for  him  to  give  us  his  entire 
confidence." 

The  officer  who  had  sent  for  the  saddle  had  watched 
everything  ;  so  when  Sedgwick  dismounted  he  held 
out  his  hand  and  said,  heartily:  "  I  beg  your  pardon, 
Mr.  Sedgwick,  I  was  mistaken  in  you.  You  do  more 
than  ride.  When  mounted,  you  and  the  horse 
together  make  a  centaur." 

With  a  celestial  smile,  Miss  Jenvie  said  :  "  I  beg 
your  pardon,  Mr.  Sedgwick.  Mr.  Jordan  is  not 


IO6  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

needed,  except  as  a  pleasant  addition  to  our  com 
pany." 

They  all  mounted  and  rode  away.  It  was  a  jolly 
party.  Grace  and  Rose  rode  with  two  of  the 
officers  ;  two  of  the  officers'  wives  were  escorted  by 
Sedgwick  and  Browning. 

As  they  rode,  Sedgwick  kept  patting  his  horse,  and 
in  a  little  while  so  won  his  confidence  that  he  was 
able  to  rub  his  whip  all  about  his  head. 

They  stopped  at  a  roadside  inn  for  luncheon,  and 
returned  in  the  cool  of  the  afternoon. 

By  this,  time  Sedgwick's  horse  had  apparently 
given  his  rider  his  full  faith,  and  Sedgwick,  in  sharp 
contrast  with  the  other  gentlemen,  sat  him  in  true 
cowboy  style.  They  were  riding  at  a  brisk  pace,  when 
the  hat  of  one  of  the  ladies  was  caught  in  a  flurry  of 
wind  and  carried  twenty  or  thirty  yards  to  the  rear. 
The  others  began  to  pull  in  their  horses,  when 
Sedgwick,  like  a  flash,  whirled  his  horse  about,  and, 
calling  to  him,  the  horse  sprang  forward  at  full  speed. 
All  turned,  and  the  ladies  screamed,  as  they  thought 
Sedgwick  was  falling.  He  had  ridden,  not  directly 
for  the  hat,  but  to  one  side  until  close  upon  it,  then, 
turning  his  horse,  he  went  down  at  the  same  moment, 
seized  the  plume  of  the  hat,  regained  his  upright 
attitude,  and  came  smiling  back,  though  the  horse, 
not  accustomed  to  such  performances,  was  snorting 
and  bounding  like  a  deer. 

All  hands  were  delighted,  and  Grace  shot  out  to 
Sedgwick  such  a  look  of  pride  and  love  that  his  heart 
beat  a  tattoo  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 07 

The  officer  who  owned  the  saddle  was  most  profuse 
in  his  expressions  of  delight.  "  Give  up  America, 
my  friend,"  he  said  ;  "come  and  be  an  Englishman 
and  join  my  regiment.  We  will  get  you  a  commis 
sion,  and  supply  every  chance  for  promotion." 

Sedgwick  thanked  him,  and  assured  him  that  he 
would  duly  consider  the  offer. 

The  old  English  Colonel  took  a  great  fancy  to 
Sedgwick.  After  dinner,  the  day  of  the  ride,  he 
sought  him  out,  and  they  conversed  together  for  two 
or  three  hours ;  or,  rather,  the  Colonel,  talked  and 
Sedgwick  listened.  The  Colonel  had  been  sent  on 
many  a  service  by  his  government ;  he  was  a  keen 
observer,  had  good  descriptive  powers,  and  was  an 
interesting  talker.  Moreover,  he  liked  to  hear  him 
self  converse. 

Having  visited  South  Africa  a  few  months  before, 
he  described  the  country  minutely,  its  topography, 
its  flora  and  fauna,  its  geological  presentations,  and 
expatiated  upon  its  promising  future.  Sedgwick  was 
very  greatly  interested,  and  with  his  retentive  mem 
ory  the  facts  were  fixed  upon  his  mind. 

As  they  were  about  separating,  Sedgwick  said : 
"  You  ask  me  to  leave  my  native  land  and  make  this 
my  country.  I  understand  you,  and  appreciate  the 
offer,  but  you  do  not  comprehend  the  Great  Republic 
at  all.  England,  at  the  beginning  of  this  century, 
was, well-nigh  the  anchor  of  civilization.  By  the  end 
of  the  next  century  England  will  be  in  cap  and  slip 
pers,  and  her  children  across  the  sea  will  have  to  be 
her  protector.  The  American  who  gives  up  his 
native  land  for  any  other  is  a  renegade  son." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

WESTMINSTER    ABBEY. 

Next  morning  Jack  and  Rose  went  out  for  a  walk 
along  the  beach.  Out  in  the  little  bay  a  man 
and  a  woman  were  sailing  and  enjoying  them 
selves,  for  the  sound  of  their  laughter  came  across 

o 

the  water  to  the  shore.  Jack  was  just  remarking  to 
Rose  that  they  in  the  boat  were  carrying  a  good  deal 
of  sail,  when  a  sudden  squall  upset  the  boat.  The 
man  was  not  a  swimmer,  but  as  he  came  to  the  sur 
face  he  managed  to  seize  upon  the  overturned  boat 
and  support  himself. 

When  the  accident  happened,  Browning  shouted  to 
some  boatmen  farther  up  the  beach  to  come  with  a 
boat  quickly,  and,  throwing  off  coat,  vest  and  shoes, 
he  plunged  in  and  swam  toward  where  the  boat  cap 
sized.  Rose  was  left  on  the  beach,  wringing  her 
hands  and  crying.  The  accident  was  not  far  from 
shore,  and  Jack  was  a  strong  swimmer.  He  reached 
the  spot  in  time  to  grasp  the  arm  of  the  woman  as 
she  came  to  the  surface.  She  was  half  smothered  by 
the  water,  and  completely  rattled,  for  the  fear  of 
death  was  full  upon  her,  so  she  madly  clung  to 
Browning.  He  made  the  best  struggle  that  he  could, 
but  the  woman  carried  him  under  before  the  boat 
arrived.  As  the  two  rose  to  the  surface,  the  boatmen 
managed  to  seize  them  and  draw  them  into  the  boat, 
but  the  woman  was  senseless,  and  Browning  was 
almost  so,  and  fearfully  exhausted. 


THE    WFDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 09 

As  the  boat  was  rowed  to  the  shore  and  Rose  saw 
Browning  lying  limp  and  helpless  in  it,  she  went  off 
in  a  dead  faint,  and  was  so  upset  and  nervous  that  it 
ivas  determined  to  return  to  London  that  evening. 
When  out  of  sight  of  the  place  and  of  the  sea,  she 
rapidly  recovered,  and  was  soon  her  old  self,  but  she 
reproached  Jack,  and  with  an  adorable  smile  told  him 
she  never  would  have  believed  that  he  would,  on  the 
very  first  opportunity,  go  off,  half  kill  himself  for 
another  woman,  and  compel  her  to  make  such  a 
spectacle  of  herself  down  on  the  beach  before  all  those 
villagers. 

The  old  days  began  again  in  London;  Browning 
and  Rose  were  all  in  all  to  each  other,  and  Sedgwick 
and  Grace  were  likewise  in  the  seventh  heaven  of 
love's  ecstasy. 

In  Nevada  parlance,  Sedgwick  would  have  wa 
gered  two  to  one  with  Browning,  on  the  measure  of 
their  respective  happiness. 

The  happy  couples  visited  every  point  of  interest 
in  and  about  London. 

One  day  they  went  through  Westminster  Abbey. 
Sedgwick  hardly  spoke  during  the  visit,  and  as  they 
entered  the  carriage  to  return  home,  Rose  said  :  "  Mr. 
Sedgwick,  I  am  disappointed  ;  I  thought  our  great 
national  chamber  of  death  would  greatly  interest 
you." 

•'*  So  did  I,"  said  Browning,  "  but  I  suppose  a  for 
eigner  cannot  understand  just  how  English-born  peo 
ple  feel  toward  that  spot." 


IIO  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Sedgvvick  smiled  faintly,  and  said  :  "  You  mistake 
me,  Miss  Rose,  and  you  too,  Jack.  That  Abbey  is 
the  only  thing  I  have  seen  in  England  that  I  am  jeal 
ous  or  envious  of.  I  see  your  great  works  and  say  to 
myself,  '  We  will  rival  all  that.'  I  read  your  best 
books  and  say  of  myself,  '  they  are  a  part  of  our 
inheritance  as  well  as  yours.'  But  that  Abbey  is  a 
monument,  sufficient  to  itself,  it  seems  to  me,  to 
make  every  Englishman  afraid  to  ever  falter  in  man 
hood  or  to  fail  in  honor.  It  is  filled  with  lessons  of 
splendor.  There  slumber  great  kings  and  princes, 
and  queens  who  were  beautiful  in  life,  but  there  under 
the  seal  of  death  a  higher  royalty  is  recognized — the 
royalty  of  great  hearts  and  brains  ;  the  royalty  that 
comes  to  the  soldier  when  in  the  face  of  death  he 
saves  his  country  ;  the  royalty  of  the  statesman  who 
turns  aside  the  sword  and  opens  new  paths  and  pos 
sibilities  to  his  countrymen  ;  the  royalty  of  the  poet 
when  he  sets  immortal  thoughts  to  words,  which  once 
spoken,  go  sounding  clown  the  ages  in  music  for 
ever.  And  these  should  have  their  final  couches 
spread  beside  the  couches  of  kings,  for  each  when 
called  can  answer,  '  I,  too,  was  royal.' 

"  And  when  other  nations  dispute  for  recognition 
with  Englishmen,  your  countrymen  have  but  to  point 
to  that  consecrated  spot  and  say  :  '  There  is  our 
country's  record.  It  is  chiseled  there  by  the  old 
sculptor,  Death  ;  go  and  study  it  ;  it  will  carry  you 
through  thirty  generations  of  men  ;  from  it  you  will 
learn  how  Englishmen  were  strong  enough,  while 
subduing  the  world,  to  subdue  themselves  ;  to  create 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  I  I  I 

to  themselves  laws  and  a  literature  of  their  own,  until 
they  at  last  held  aloft  the  banners  of  civilization  when 
nearly  all  the  world  beside  was  dark  ;  there  is 
the  record  of  England's  soldiers,  statesmen,  poets, 
scholars  ;  read  the  immortal  list,  and  then  if  you  will, 
come  back  and  renew  the  argument.' 

"  That  pile  ought  to  be  enough  to  make  every 
Englishman  a  true  man,  a  brave  man,  a  gentleman, 
for  to  me  the  names  there  make  the  most  august 
scroll  ever  written. 

"  Listening  within  those  walls,  it  seemed  to  me  I 
could  hear  mingling  all  the  voices  of  the  mighty 
dead  ;  the  battle-cry  of  soldiers,  the  appeals  of  states 
men  ;  the  edicts  of  kings  ;  the  hymns  of  churchmen, 
the  rhythm  of  immortal  numbers  as  from  poets' 
harps  they  were  flung  off ;  the  glory  of  a  thousand 
years  shone  before  my  eyes  ;  the  splendor  of  almost 
everything  that  is  immortal  in  English  history  was 
before  me. 

"  That  place  ought  to  impress  all  who  visit  it  with 
what  mortals  must  do,  if  they  would  embalm  their 
memories  upon  the  world. 

"  You  are  right  to  reverence  and  to  feel  a  solemn 
joy  at  that  place  ;  it  is  one  of  the  few  real  splendors 
of  this  old  world." 

"  Forgive  me,  Mr.  Sedgwick,"  said  Rose  ;  "  I 
should  have  known  your  thoughts."  While  she  was 
speaking,  Grace,  under  the  laprobe,  pressed  h'er 
lover's  hand. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TWO    KINDS    OF    SORROW. 

But  as  June  wore  away,  one  day  when  Jack  visited 
the  office  of  his  stepfather,  he  found  Stetson  there, 
and  was  informed  by  him  that  some  evil-disposed 
persons  were  '  bearing '  the  stock  of  the  Wedge  of 
Gold  Company,  which  was  most  unfortunate,  as  it 
interfered  with  the  arrangements  in  progress  for 
building  the  mill. 

Browning  did  not  know  enough  about  stocks  to  see 
through  the  deception,  but  bluntly  asked  what  could 
be  done  to  stop  the  injury.  "  The  true  way,"  said 
Stetson,  "  would  be  to  go  on  the  market  and  take  all 
the  stock  offered  until  the  bear  movement  should  be 
broken." 

Browning  had  heard  about  Captain  Kelly  "bearing" 
the  bonanza  stocks,  and  how  the  bonanza  firm  had 
taken  all  he  offered,  so  he  said  :  "  Why  do  you  not 
go  out  and  put  a  stopper  on  the  beggars  ?  "  Stetson 
explained  that  he  had  not  the  money.  "  Why,  we 
can  fix  that,"  said  Jack.  So  he  wrote  a  note  to  the 
—  Bank  to  honor  the  orders  of  Jenvie  &  Hamlin 
until  furthur  instructions,  turned  the  check  over  to 
Hamlin  and  told  him  to  manage  it.  The  days  went 
by.  There  was  an  excursion  of  the  young  people  to 
Wales,  and  another  to  Scotland,  and  besides  Jack 
had  gone  down  to  Devonshire,  bonded  the  place  he 
liked,  paid  ^i;ooo  down,  and  was  to  meet  the  remain- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  I  13 

der  of  the  obligation — ,£9,000 — when  the  titles  were  all 
looked  up  and  transferred  to  him.  Meanwhile,  June 
and  the  better  part  of  July  were  gone  when  one 
morning  Jack  went  to  the  bank  and  drew  a  check  for 
a  few  pounds  which  he  needed  for  spending  money. 
The  cashier  as  he  paid  the  check,  informed  Browning 
that  the  directors  would  be  glad  to  see  him  in  the  pri 
vate  office  of  the  bank.  A  messenger  showed  him  the 
way,  and  he  was  there  informed  that  the  house  of 
Jenvie  &  Hamlin  had  been  drawing  so  heavily  upon 
his  order  that  only  some  ,£12,000  remained  to  his 
credit.  The  news  was  a  paralyzer,  but  Jack  was  a 
game  man  and  said  :  "  That  is  all  right,"  talked 
pleasantly  for  a  few  minutes,  then  withdrew,  and 
going  directly  ti  his  stepfather's  office,  demanded  an 
explanation. 

The  old  men  informed  him  that  they  had  tried  to 
hold  up  the  stock  of  the  "  Wedge  of  Gold,"  but  their 
efforts  had  proved  of  no  use.  The  shares  had  run 
down  to  almost  nothing.  They  had  even  used  the 
reserve  fund  intended  for  the  building  of  the  mill,  and 
it  looked,  they  said,  as  though  they  could  never  realize 
enough  to  get  even. 

"  Has  the  stock  recently  bought  been  placed 
to  my  credit  ?"  asked  Jack.  He  was  told  that  it  had 
been.  "And  how  much  is  it?"  he  demanded.  They 
informed  him  that  it  amounted  to  83,000  shares, 
which,  with  the  50,000  shares  first  bought  by  him, 
gave  him  133,000  shares,  or  the  entire  stock  except 
1 7,000  shares. 


114  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Jack  was  lost  in  thought  a  few  minutes,  then  said  : 
"  I  want  all  the  papers  except  the  17,000  shares,  and 
I  want  with  them  your  own  and  Stetson's  resignation 
as  officers  of  the  company." 

The  papers  were  given  him,  and  taking  the  bundle 
he  carried  it  to  his  own  bank  and  deposited  it,  then 
went  home. 

He  repaired  directly  to  Jim's  apartment,  found 
him,  and  said:  "  Jim,  my  heart  is  broken.  You  have 
stood  by  me  so  far,  help  me  now  to  arrange  things 
so  that  I  can  say  good-bye  to  Rose" — here  he  broke 
down  and  sobbed — "and  then  go  back  to  America." 

"  Why,  old  friend,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  if  you  and 
Rose  are  all  right,  what  can  so  upset  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  bless  my  soul,  Jim,  I'm  ruined  ;  my  fortune 
is  nearly  all  gone,"  he  answered. 

Then  Sedgwick  drew  from  him  all  the  dismal  story. 

When  he  had  finished,  Sedgwick  said  :  4<  Get  me 
that  prospectus,  Jack  ;  I  want  to  see  it  before  I 
make  up  my  mind."  Jack  complied,  and  Sedgwick 
read  it  carefully  through.  The  statement  of  the 
mine,  the  description  of  its  development,  and  of  the 
value  of  the  ore,  had  been  prepared  by  an  expert  so 
eminent  that  he  could  not  afford  to  sell  his  name  to 
bolster  up  a  fraud. 

When  Sedgwich  had  finished  reading  he  sat  in 
thought  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  said  :  "  Jack,  go 
and  find  the  man  from  whom  this  property  was  pur 
chased,  get  all  the  facts  that  you  can,  even  if  you  have 
to  get  him  drunk  ;  then  come  to  me  to-morrow,  and 
by  that  time  we  will  think  something  out.  By  the  way, 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  115 

first  run  over  to  Rose,  tell  her  you  have  been  called 
away  on  business  and  may  not  be  home  until  late,  so 
that  she  will  not  expect  you." 

Jack  left  his  friend  and  met  Rose  in  the  hall.  She 
had  just  come  in  to  visit  Grace.  He  caught  her  up 
as  men  sometimes  do  children,  kissed  her  and  said 
gaily  •  "  Don't  look  for  me  to-night,  sweetheart.  I'm 
going  to  be  engaged  until  late." 

She  twined  both  her  arms  around  one  of  his  arms 
and  said  teasingly  :  "  Are  not  you  and  I  engaged, 
and  is  not  ours  a  prior  engagement  ?  " 

"  O,  yes,"  he  said,  "but  this  other  engagement  is 
with  a  man." 

"  So  is  mine,"  she  said. 

"  And  sometimes  I  think  he  is  not  much  of  a  man, 
either,"  said  Jack. 

"  Don't  you  dare  to  slander  him,"  said  Rose.  "  I 
know  him  better  than  he  knows  himself,  and  I  will 
not  permit  one  word  to  be  breathed  against  him." 

"  He  ought  to  be  most  proud  of  so  lovely  a  cham 
pion.  He  must  be  the  most  blessed  man  of  all  the 
earth,"  said  Jack,  looking  fondly  down  upon  her. 
Then  he  added  :  "  Are  you  very  sure  that  nothing 
could  ever  come  between  his  love  and  you?" 

"  Why,  Jack,  how  serious  you  are,"  the  fair  girl 
said.  "  Nothing,  nothing,  can  ever  come  to  break 
my  admiration  for  him.  Death  itself  can  but  sus 
pend  life  fora  little  while.  My  Jack  and  myself  will 
be  loving  each  other  when  this  world  shall  be  worn 
out  and  be  floating  in  space,  as  does  a  dead  swan 
upon  a  lake." 


Il6  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Browning1  bent  and  kissed  her  again,  said  softly 
"  Amen,"  and  went  out. 

The  day  wore  away,  and  when  dinner  was  an 
nounced,  Browning  had  not  returned.  Sedgwick 
went  with  Grace  to  the  sitting  room  and  remained 
for  a  few  minutes.  Grace  chided  him  upon  being 
moody,  and  with  all  her  caressing  ways  tried  to 
exorcise  the  evil  spirit  that  was  upon  him,  but  with 
poor  success.  Finally  he  asked  her  to  excuse  him, 

telling    her   he  was   absorbed   in    a   little   matter  not 
& 

strictly  his  own,  which  he  would  tell  her  all  about 
after  awhile. 

She  listened,  and  when  he  had  finished,  she  put 
her  arms  around  his  neck,  and  said  : 

"You  see  when  confidence  is  withheld  from  me,  I 
become  violently  angry,  and  punish  the  culprit  by- 
going  away."  Then  she  kissed  him,  arose,  backed  to 
the  door,  reached  behind  her,  opened  it,  passed  out, 
then  kissing  her  hand  to  him,  closed  the  door. 

Sedgwick  went  out,  and  at  once  repaired  to  the 
hotel  where  Jordan  stopped  when  in  the  city.  He 
had  been  out  of  town  following  some  whim,  and  Sedg 
wick  had  not  seen  him  since  Derby  Day. 

Reaching  the  hotel,  he  learned  that  Jordan  had 
returned,  and  soon  found  him. 

Jordan  met  him  joyfully,  explained  why  he  had 
been  away,  that  he  was  thinking  all  the  way  home 
from  the  Derby  that  if  he  remained  he  might  be  a 
burden  to  Sedgwick  and  his  new  friends  ;  that  the 
best  thing  to  do  was  to  take  no  chances,  and  so  he 
had  been  making  the  tour  of  Ireland. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  117 

Of  that  country  he  had  much  to  say.  "  Yo'  oughter 
go  thar,  Jim,"  he  said.  "  Thar's  a  people  wot  ken 
look  poverty  in  ther  face  'nd  laff  it  ter  scorn  ;  whar 
three  squar  meals  a  day  ken  be  made  on  hope  ;  whar 
wit  grows  on  ther  bushes  ;  whar  ther  air  ez  filled  with 
songs  'nd  full  hearts  fill  ther  vacancy  made  by  empty 
stomachs.  It's  ther  most  pathetic  spot  on  earth,  Jim. 
A  race  lives  ther  filled  with  energy  and  hope,  a  race 
as  is  generous  and  brave,  'nd  warm-hearted,  holdin' 
within  'em  vitality  enough  ter  found  a  dozen  empires, 
but  chained  by  poverty  'nd  superstition,  'nd  hate  of 
the  bruiser  on  this  side  of  ther  channel ;  nussin' 
impossible  dreams  'ev  a  nationality  which  ther  kentry 
couldn't  support  ef  once  obtained  ;  proud  ez  Lucifer 
of  a  past  which  hez  little  in  it  'cept  wrong  'nd  tyranny 
'nd  sufferin' ;  all  ther  exertions  confined  in  a  narrer 
groove,  all  ther  work  of  no  avail  because  uv  indirec 
tion  ;  clingin'  ter  homes  which  keeps  'em  helpless  'nd 
only  accomplishin'  somethin'  when  transplanted  to 
other  fields,  'nd  then  carryin'  on  ther  world's  work, 
fiten'  ther  world's  battles,  sailin'  ther  world's  ships, 
workin'  ther  world's  mines,  subduen'  ther  world's 
wildernesses,  runnin'  ther  world's  primaries,  'nd  bein' 
ther  world's  perlicemen.  I  tell  yo',  Jim,  it  war  pitiful. 

"  When  I  told  'em  I  war  an  American,  they  opened 
ther  arms  ter  me  ter  once,  'nd  took  me  in.  What 
questions  they  asked  !  And  when  I  told  'em  about 
ther  broad  acres  in  Texas,  how  they  cud  go  thar  and 
each  in  a  few  months  or  years  own  his  own  farm  half 
a  mile  squar,  how  ther  eyes  flashed  'nd  ther  faces 


IlS  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

glowed!  It  teched  my  heart,  Jim,  ter  see  'em,  'nd 
made  a  old  fool  uv  me  in  one  place,  shore. 

"  I  stopped  in  a  house  one  night  whar  ther  war  ther 
old  man  'nd  woman,  a  grown-up  son  'nd  a  girl  who 
war,  maybe,  eighteen  year  old.  Thet  girl,  Jim,  war 
fine.  Blue  eyes  'nd  har  that  war  the  color  which 
ware  'twixt  a  brown  and  a  flaxen,  with  er  blush  rose 
shadin';  a  clear-cut  face  like  that  of  a  Greek  stater; 
dainty  form  'nd  limbs  ;  the  roundest  arms  yo'  ever 
seen  'nd  a  hand  like  Aferdites.  I  noticed,  too — ax- 
identally  in  course,  that  ther  thick  brogans  on  her 
feet  were  little  'nd  shapely  ef  ther  war  thick  brogans. 
But,  finest  of  all  war  her  complexion.  Ther  warm  air 
as  blows  over  the  Gulf  Stream  are  good  ter  all  com 
plexions  in  Ireland,  but  it  had  done  extra  fur  thet 
girl.  It  war  perfect. 

"Then,  over  all,  she  hed  a  proud,  shy,  dainty  way 
'bout  her  which  war  exquisite. 

11  We  had  a  jolly  evenin'  together.  I  told  'em  'bout 
America  ;  they  told  me  all  'bout  Ireland  from  ther 
time  of  ther  Irish  kings.  They  fired  jokes  at  each 
other  that  would  sell  for  forty  dollars  apiece  in  Texas, 
and  they  war  ez  thick  ez  though  jokes  growed  on 
trees. 

"  At  last  ther  boy  wanted  his  sister  to  sing,  but  she 
got  rosy  red,  'nd  told  him  ter  be  quiet.  I  told  her 
ef  she'd  sing  I'd  make  her  a  present,  'nd  finally  she 
giv  in.  Her  brother  played  ther  flute,  'nd  she  sung 
'Tara's  Harp,'  not  scientific,  but  jest  nateral  'nd 
sweet  as  iver  a  bobolink  sang. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  I  19 

"  When  she  finished  I  gin  her  a  new  guinea.  She 
didn't  want  ter  take  it,  but  I  flung  it  inter  her  lap,  'nd 
then  it  war  passed  from  hand  ter  hand  ez  a  curiosity. 
Ther  mother  war  last.  She  looked  it  over  and  then 
sed  :  '  It's  a  beauty,  shore,  'nd  now,  Nora,  give  it 
back  ter  ther  gentleman.'  I  sed:  'I  don't  want  it. 
I  want  Nora  ter  have  it.1 

"  '  Shore  nuff  ? '  sed  ther  mother. 

"  '  Shore,'  sed  I. 

"  'Then,  Nora,'  sed  ther  mother,  'kiss  the  gentle 
man  for  the  gift.'  Would  yer  believe  it,  Jim,  thet  shy 
girl  come  and  put  her  arms  around  my  neck  and 
kissed  me. 

"  Blast  me,  but  it  took  me  back,  but  I  rallied  'nd 
said  : 

"  '  Nora,  I'd  give  another  guinea  for  another  kiss 
like  thet,'  'nd  then  she  come  back  agin  a-sayin'  :  '  Yo 
ken  hev  another  without  any  mo'  guinea,'  'nd  kissed 
me  agin,  'nd  ther  whole  family  laffed. 

"  Next  mornin'  when  I  come  outer  my  room  I  found 
Nora  alone.  Ther  father  and  brother  hed  gone  ter 
ther  field,  and  ther  mother  war  cookin'  my  breakfast. 

"  Nora  greeted  me  cordial  like,  'nd  I  sed:  '  Nora,ef 
I  war  young  agin  I'd  camp  right  here  'nd  make  love 
teryoV 

"  '  Out  wid  yer,'  she  answered.  '  It's  a  cousin  I  hev 
in  America,  'nd  she  writes  me  how  foine  the  land  war, 
but  says  ivery  American  is  a  mortal  liar  when  he 
talks  ter  ther  girls.' 

"  '  The  cousin  slanders  us,'  said  I. 

"  '  She  does  not,'  said  Nora 


1  2O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  l  And  how  can  I  prove  it  ? '  said  I. 

"  '  Yez  might  make  love  ter  me,'  she  said 

"  '  I'm  too  old,  Nora,'  I  answered. 

"  '  Couldn't  yez  wait  and  let  me  tell  yez  thet  ? '  she 
asked. 

"  '  I'd  rether  own  it  then  ter  hev  yo'  tell  me,'  I 
answered. 

"  '  O,  it's  makin'  fun  of  me  yez  are,'  said  she.  'I 
know  how  far  away  yez  are  from  the  loikes  of  me 
and  will  forgit  me  to-morry,  but  I'm  glad  yez  come, 
for  it  gave  me  a  breath  of  the  joy  of  the  great  world 
outside.  Here  hearts  be  breaking  continually,  for 
our  lives  are  narrowed  down  to  a  mere  ficrht  for  food. 

o 

It's  jist  slavery  from  the  cradle  ter  ther  grave,  and 
slavery  over  which  there  shines  no  star  of  hope.' 

"  Jest  then  ther  mother  called  us  to  breakfast.  After 
breakfast  I  went  ter  my  room  and  put  ten  £  i  o  notes  in 
a  envelope,  wrote  a  line  thet  it  war  to  take  the  whole 
family  ter  America  ;  told  'em  ter  go  ter  Texas,  and 
find  the  old  neighbors,  given'  'em  a  lot  'o  names;  told 
'em  not  ter  stay  a  minit  in  ther  cities  ;  then  went  out 
and  handin'  Nora  the  letter  ez  I  bid  her  good-bye, 
told  her  it  war  a  real  love  letter,  shore  miff,  which 
she  must  not  read  till  I  war  out  o'  sight  ;  thet  she 
might  give  me  ther  answer  when  I  cum  back,  and 
then  I  started  straight  for  England. 

I  kep  thinkin'  all  thet  day,  it  war  sich  a  girl  as  thet 
who  after  awhile  become  the  mother  of  Pat  Cleburne 
or  maybe  Phil  Sheridan." 

"  A  moment  later  he  looked  up  and  said  : 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  121 

"  But  I  wanted  ter  see  yo',  Jim,  to  tell  yo'  all  the 
boys  remember  yo'.,  and  all  allow  yo'  were  the  dol- 
durndest  tenderfoot  thet  ever  crossed  a  hoss  or  fired 
a  rope  or  a  gun." 

"  Where  can  we  find  a  quiet  place,  Jordan  ?  "  Sedg- 
wick  asked. 

"  I  know  a  boss  ranch,"  said  Jordan,  "  whar  we 
can  have  a  private  room  and  talk  all  we  wanter,  only 
a  few  steps  away." 

They  found  it  a  drinking  house  with  private  rooms 
in  the  rear. 

When   seated  there,   Sedgwick  soon    learned  that 
Jordan   had   sold    everything    in    Texas — stock    and 
land — and  had   converted   all   into  money  in  bank- 
some   $35,000 — and    was,   to    use    his    own    words, 
"  makin'  a  tower." 

"  But  how  came  yo:  here,  Jim  ?  "  asked  Jordan. 

Then  Sedgwick  told  him  of  his  life  since  the  day 
he  left  Texas  ;  how  he  formed  a  friendship  for  Brown 
ing  ;  how  the  deal  in  stocks  originated,  and  how  it 
resulted. 

The  Texan  went  into  raptures.  "  Yo'  don't  tell 
me?"  he  said:  "  Half  a  milliun  !  dod  rot  it,  but 
thet's  good  ;  thet's  immense  !  how  it  would  tickle 
ther  boys  out  thar  to  know  it !  And  yo'  give  the  ole 
man  a  cool  $100,000?  What  did  they  think  of  yo' 
then  ?  Har,  waiter,  give  us  a  quart  of  y'r — whatyer 
call  it?  O,  yes,  Widder  Clicko  (Cliquot);  durned  if 
we  don't  sellerbrate." 

They  drank  their  wine,  lighted  their  cigars,  and 
settled  down  for  a  talk. 


122  TIIK    WK I )(;]•;    OF    GOLD. 

All  the  old  times  in  Texas  had  been  discussed 
when  Sedgwick  said  :  "  Jordan,  I  thought  you  were 
prosperous  and  happy,  and  much  loved  by  all  who 
knew  you  in  Texas.  What  possessed  you  to  sell  out 
and  leave?" 

"  I  war  prosperous,"  said  Jordan,  "  doin'  fust-class; 
war  contented,  and  I  don't  believe  I  hed  a  enemy  in 
the  hull  State. 

"  I  hed  ther  ranch,  ther  cattle,  ther  mustangs;  didn't 
owe  a  dollar,  and  hed  money  in  ther  bank.  I  hed 
been  doin'  right  pert,  and  the  property  war  a-raisin' 
every  day.  Do  yo'  know  the  blamed  igiots  was 
a-talkin'  o'  sendin'  me  to  ther  Legislature.  But  after 

o 

awhile  something  happened.  A  lot  o'  ther  boys  cum 
in  one  day  and  said:  'Jordan,  it's  a  blasted  shame 
the  way  the  childer  is  growin'  up  yere.  We  orter  'av 
a  school.'  '  All  right,'  says  I,  'school goes.'  So  they 
agreed  ter  build  a  school  house  and  ter  hire  a  teacher 
for  six  months.  I  flung  in  more'n  my  shere,  and 
then  ther  question  was  whar  to  build  ther  school 
house.  I  spoke  up  and  I  says :  '  Why  not  put  it 
down  in  the  angle  of  my  best  section  ? '  Yo'  know 
whar  ther  section  lines  cross  than  It  leaves  a  corner 
in  ther  field  which  is  a  sharp  pint  in  ther  road,  and 
broadens  as  it  runs  back.  'Well,'  they  said,  'but 
whar'll  the  teacher  board  ?  ' 

"  Well,  yo'  know  it's  only  six  hundred  yards  up  ter 
my  place  ;  so  I  says  :  '  I  han't  chick  or  child,  but  I'm 
bound  ter  stay  by  ther  school ;  send  ther  teacher  up 
yere.  He  can  do  chores  enough  for  his  board,  if  he 
is  techy  at  all  on  that  pint.' 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  123 

"  The  school  house  went  up  in  short  order,  and  one 
of  the  Kinsley  boys  came  by  on  a  Saturday,  and  he 
says,  says  he  :  'Jordan,  ther  school'll  be  open  Mon 
day  mornin,'  and  the  teacher'll  be  down  for  supper  on 
Monday  night.'  '  Send  him  'long/  says  I.  I  thought 
he  gin  a  queer  kind  o'  a  igiotic  laugh,  but  he  said, 
'  All  right/  and  rid  along.  I  went  in  through  ther 
kitchen  and  told  Aunt  Sue — yo'  remember  our  old  un 
bleached  cook  —  that  ther  school  master  war  a-comin' 
to  board  on  Monday  night,  and  she  must  spread 
herself. 

"  Her  nose  went  up  inter  ther  air,  and  she  said  : 
'  H'm,  guess  what  we  gets  every  day's  good  'nuff  for 
one  o'  doze  poor  white  trash  teachurs/ 

"  Well,  'long  'bout  five  o'clock  Monday  evenin'  I  war 
readin'  ther  paper,  when  I  hearn  a  knock  at  ther  door, 
and  same  time  I  hearn  Bolus — thet's  the  big  collie,  yo' 
remember — kinder  whinin'  as  though  he  war  glad, 
and  bangin  the  door  with  his  tail.  I  thought  maybe 
some  of  ther  boys  is  cum  back  ;  maybe  it's  Jim  Sedg- 
wick,  and  I  gets  up  and  goes  and  throws  ther  door 
open,  and  was  jest  openin'  my  mouth  to  say  '  Hello  !  ' 
when  I  got  paralyzed. 

"  Thar  war  standin  thar  a  little  woman  in  a  black 
frock  thet  fitted  her  like  a  prayer  on  a  nun's  lips. 
She  had  on  a  white  collar,  and  when  she  looked  up  at 
me  yo'  never  seen  sich  a  majestical  pair  o'  eyes,  and 
I  said  ter  myself,  '  Blast  my  broad  horns,  but  I  never 
seen  so  takin'  a  face  in  all  my  life.' 

"  Jest  pale  sorter,  barrin'  a  little  flush  that  creeped 
up  over  her  face,  as  yo'  might  expect  would  cum  ter 


124  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

thet  stater — whatyer  call  it  in  ther  play  ? — Gal — ,  O, 
yes,  Galerteer,  diet's  it — when  weakenen'  to  thet 
feller's  pleadin',  she  shakes  ther  stone  and  begins  ter 
warm  up  ter  his  prayer.  She  had  sorrerful  eyes  ter 
look  inter,  'cept  when  she  smiled,  and  then,  Jim,  hed 
yer  seen  thet  smile  once  you'd  never  sarched  fur  no 
more  bernanzers.  * 

"  Her  nose  was  straight  ez  a  blood  hoss's  fore-arm, 
teeth  perfect,  and  white  as  ther  starlight  ;  her  har  war 
between  yaller  and  tawny,  and  lots  of  it.  Jest  then 
ther  sun  shone  agin  it,  and  my  thot  war,  *  A  smoked 
topaz  ez  big  ez  a  dinner  bucket  war  fused  and  then 
spun  inter  threads  ter  make  thet  har.' 

"  And  when  she  looked  up  and  said,  inquirin'  like, 
'  Mr.  Jordan  ?'  her  voice  war  sweeter'n  yo'  ever  hearn 
a  turtle  dove  when  callin'  her  mate  ter  breakfast. 

"  '  Thet's  me/  sez  I.' 

"  She  held  out  her  hand  thet  war  soft  an'  white  an' 
shapely,  an'  warm,  and  sed  : 

*'  '  I  am  Mrs.  Margaret  Hazleton,  ther  teacher  in 
ther  school,  and  I  was  directed  here.' 

"  I  thot  I  should  o'  drop  through  ther  floo',  but  I 
braced  up — waiter,  another  bottle — ez  I  war  sayin', 
I  braced  up  and  said,  '  Bless  me,  madam,  1  war 
expectin'  ther  teacher' d  be  a  man  ;  but  walk  right  in, 
we'll  do  ther  best  we  ken  for  yer.' 

"  I  called  Aunt  Sue,  and  told  her  to  show  ther  lady 
whar  ter  dump  her  fixins,'  and  der  yo'  believe  it,  thet 
dog  Bolus,  thet  war  generally  mighty  questionin'  'bout 
strangers,  set  down  'nd  thumped  ther  floo'  like  he 
war  tickled  ter  death. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  125 

"  Aunt  Sue  had  cooked  prairie  chickens,  pertaters, 
hed  made  hot  bread  'n  coffee,  'n  fried  bernanners, 
and  opened  can  fruit,  and  brot  out  ther  honey  'nd 
two  kinds  o'  pickles,  an'  ther  supper  war  fine. 

"  Ther  little  woman  praised  it,  gentle  like,  jest 
enough  an'  not  o'erdoin'  it,  till  Aunt  Sue's  face  war 
bigger'n  a  full  mune,  and  filled  with  satisfaction  ter 
ther  very  corners. 

"  All  ther  time  ther  lady  kep  talkin'  'bout  Texas, 
askin'  questions,  'bout  ther  sile,  ther  climate,  and  ther 
productions,  and  in  course  I  talked  and  did  my  best 
a-entertainin'  o'  her  till  nine  o'clock,  when  she  got  up 
and  sed  she'd  bid  me  good-night. 

"  Aunt  Sue  give  her  the  best  room,  in  course— thet 
one  beyond  ther  parlor.  Yo'  know  I  hed  it  furnished 
up  kinder  gorgus  with  a  carpet  from  Shreveport,  and 
spring  bed  and  wash-stand  and  picters  from  Galves- 
ton,  and  I  felt  more  satisfaction  thinkin'  mout  be  she'd 
be  comfortable,  than  I  ever  hed  before  since  I'd  fixed 
it  up. 

"  When  she  war  gone,  I  sed  :  '  Boys,  but  we  is  in 
fur  it,'  but  Aunt  Sue  spoke  up,  and  says  she  :  '  Der 
am  white  folks  and  white  folks  ;  but  dis  one's  a  born 
lady,  sho.' 

"  And  the  cowboys  said,  '  Shore,'  and  I  was  shore 
myself. 

"  She  war  up  and  out  d'rectly  in  the  mornin',  fixed 
her  own  lunchen,  talked  clever  a  few  words  to  Aunt 
Sue,  petted  ther  dog  a  little,  and  asked  him  questions 
as  though  he'd  been  a  kid  ;  stopped  on  the  way  out 
ter  tie  up  a  rose  bush,  'nd  so  she  came  and  went  ev'ry 


126  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

day,  and  though  I  didn't  realize  it  then,  ther  house  war 
brighter  when  she  war  ther,  and  darker  when  she  war 
gone. 

"  Once  Aunt  Sue  hed  fever  from  Friday  ter  Sunday 
night,  and  without  any  fuss  thet  thar  woman  did  the 
cookin',  and  doctored  Sue  as  tho' cookin"nd  doctorin' 
war  her  regular  perfession. 

"  We  found  out  after  a  little  thet  she  war  a  widder, 
husband  dead  two  year. 

"  After  'bout  a  week  Aunt  Sue  says  ter  me  one  day: 
'  Mr.  Jordan,  yo'  jest  cum  har  !'  I  followed  her  ter 
the  woman's  room.  Der  yer  believe  it,  she'd  downed 
all  ther  flash  picters  that  ther  impenitent  thief  at  Gal- 
veston  hed  coaxed  me  inter  buyin',  and  in  place  hed 
hung  up  some  small  engravins,  not  gaudy-like,  but 
jest  catchin';  hed  taken'  off  all  the  sassy  trimmin's 
from  ther  curtains,  and  the  hull  room  war  changed, 
just  ez  tho'  er  benediction  had  been  pernounced  thar. 
It  war  all  kinder  toned  down,  ez  tho'  a  woman  hed 
slipped  a  gray  ulster  over  a  red  frock. 

"  It  made  me  feel  kinder  cheap  like,  and  I  sed  ter 
myself,  says  I  :  '  Thet's  good  taste  ! '  I  knowed  it  in  er 
minit.  tho'  I'd  never  seen  it  afore. 

"  Next  Sunday  in  church  we  found  out  she  could 
sing,  and  after  thet  she  sung  for  us  o'  nites,  playing  a 
gitaw  same  time.  Then  arter  awhile  she  got  ter 
readin'  ter  us.  Yo'  remember  how  yo'  read,  Jim  ? 
Well,  yer  readin'  war  like  a  grand  organ,  hern  were 
like  ther  blendin*  o'  flutes  and  harps. 

"  Well,  ther  weeks  went  by,  and  sech  a  feelin'  cum 
over  me  ez  I'd  never  'sperienced  afore.  I  thot  first 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD  127 

'twar  fray  fever  comin'  on.  I  couldn't  eat,  couldn't 
sleep.  I  war  restless  when  thet  woman  war  gone.  I 
war  skeery  like  when  she  war  round  ;  and  war  given 
to  havin'  little  hot  spells  and  then  chills,  and  I  said, 
4  I  know  it's  ther  blasted  malarier.' 

So  I  took  k'neen  and  juniper  tea,  and  fancied  I  hed 
night  sweats — jest  the  cussedest  time,  Jim,  thet  yo' 
ever  seen. 

"  One  day  when  I  war  a-sittin'  in  ther  house  and  a- 
mopin',  Aunt  Sue  cum  in  and  looked  hard  at  me,  and 
says  she:  'Mr.  Jordan,  does  yo'  know  what's  der 
matter  wid  ye  ?' 

'  I  told  her  I  didn't ;  thet  I'd  give  a  band  o'  cattle 
ter  find  out. 

"  '  Laws,' says  she,  '  I'd  tell  cheaper'n  dat,  only  yo'd 
think  I  is  sassy.' 

"I  said:  'Aunty,  yo' goahead.  If  yo's  sassy,  I's 
too  sick  to  care.' 

"  '  Why,  bless  yo'  soul,  honey,'  says  she,  '  yo's  jest 
ded  in  lub  wid  the  schoolma'm,  Mrs.  Margaret.  I 
noze.  I's  been  dar  myself.' 

"  '  O,  git  out,'  says  I. 

"  She  went  out  laffin',  but  at  ther  door  she  stopped 
a  second  and  says  :  * 

"  '  Dat's  it,  sho,  Mr.  Jordan,'  and  after  ther  door 
closed  I  hearn  her  ha-hain'. 

"  Then  I  did  some  thinkin'  for  the  next  half  hour, 
and  I  said  ter  myself,  '  It's  thet,  sho  miff.' 

"  The  school  term  war  ter  close  next  day,  and  ther 
teacher  had  made  her  'rangements  ter  leave  right 
away  for  her  home  up  No'th — lerway,  I  b'lieve.  The 


128  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

contract  war  for  $100  er  month,  but  when  we  met  ter 
fix  up  ther  money  I  told  ther  trustees  that  some  o' 
ther  neighbors  lied  been  thet  pleased  with  ther  school 
thet  they  had  put  up  a  little  extry  puss  o'  money, 
enough  ter  pay  ther  teacher's  board  and  give  her 
$150  extry.  It  war  a  bald-headed  pervarication,  Jim, 
but  I  thot  it  justifiable  under  the  sarcumstances, 
inasmuch  as  I  put  up  ther  hull  money  myself. 

I  war  fur  gone.  She  closed  ther  school  next 
evenin'  ;  cum  up  ter  ther  house;  wus  goin' ter  remain 
till  the  train  cum  by  fur  ther  No'th  at  1 1:15  next  day. 
We  hed  supper  and  breakfast  as  usual.  After  break 
fast  ther  boys  all  went  off  ter  ther  wo'k,  and  Aunt  Sue 
went  ter  a  neighbor's  to  borrer  some  bakin'  powder. 
I  was  sittin'  on  ther  verandy  when  the  schoolma'm 
cum  out,  and  walkin'  close  up,  says  she  :  '  Mr.  Jor 
dan ' — waiter,  bring  me  a  brandy  smash — 'Mr  Jor 
dan,'  says  she,  '  I  want  to  thank  you  for  all  your 
gentle  and  generous  kindness  to  me.  Except  for 
your  thoughtful  consideration  I  should  have  had  a 
much  harder  time  here.  I  thank  you  with  all  my 
heart.'  " 

Sedgwick  noticed  that  he  had  repeated  the  exact 
words  without  a  mistake  in  pronunciation.  They  had 
evidently  been  burned  into  his  very  soul. 

He  drank  the  brandy,  and  then  with  a  husky 
voice  went  on  : 

"  '  Yo'  break  me  all  up,  Mrs.  Hazelton,'  says  I. 
'  We  is  such  rough  folks  down  har.  Yo'  have  been 
er  providence  ter  ther  place.' 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  129 

"  She  blushed  a  little  nt  that,  and  said  :  '  You  are 
too  kind.' 

"  '  Not  a  blamed  bit,'  says  I,  and  then  realizin'  it  war 
my  only  chance,  I  blurted  out  :  *  I'll  be  mighty  sor- 
rerful  when  yo'  is  gone.  I  don't  know  how  others  as 
knows  how  does  it,  but  I  want  ter  tell  yer  thet  because 
of  yer  the  flowers  is  brighter,  the  birds  sing  sweeter, 
the  sunshine  is  clearer,  the  sky  more  smilin',  and  I 
cud  get  down  and  crawl  on  the  ground  yo'  has  walked 
over,  that  bad  do  I  worship  yer.  And  if  yo'  cud 
stay  and  marry  me  and  civilize  me,  I'd  try  to  brush 
up  and  be  a  decenter  man  than  I  ever  war  ;  least 
ways,  I'd  clar  ev'ry  rock  and  thorn  outer  yer  path.' 

"  Do  yo'  b'lieve  it,  Jim,  I  wus  perspirin'  wus'n  ther 
buckskin  stallion  did  when  yo'  got  thro'  with  him  that 
fust  mornin',  and  was  tremblin'  like  a  sick  gal. 

"  She  looked  down  compassionate  like,  got  white 
about  ther  lips,  'nd  her  voice  shook  er  little  as  she 
sed  : 

"  '  I  can't  do  that,  Mr.  Jordan  ;  there's  much  that  I 
cannot  tell,  why  I  cannot,  no  matter  ;  but  I  thank 
you  with  all  my  heart  and  soul,  not  only  for  your 
kindness  to  me,  but  for  this  last  most  generous  offer.' 

"  Then  she  went  on  and  talked, and  cud  yo'  'av  hearn 
her,  it  would  ha'  made  yo'  think  she  war  the  prettiest 
and  sweetest,  and  most  compassionate  woman  as 
ever  a-come  ter  bless  ther  world.  She  seemed  ter/ne 
like  a  fur  off  priestess  ministerin'  to  a  sinner. 

"  After  awhile  I  said  : 

"  '  Mrs.  Hazelton,  o'  course  yo'  is  pore,  or  yo' 
wouldn't  a-come  down  yere  a-teachin'  school  among 


I3O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

these  barbarians  ;  thet  is,  pore  ez  fur  ez  money  goes. 
I've  been  lucky.  I've  $4,000  in  ther  bank  which  I've 
no  need  of.  If  you'll  let  me  give  you  thet,  no  one'd 
ever  know  it,  and  the  reckerlection  uv  it,  'nd  ther 
thot  thet  it  may  be  doin!  yo'  some  good'll  give  me 
heaps  more  pleasure  than  keepin'  of  it  would.' 

"  You  see,  Jim,  I  war  fur  gone.  But  she  wouldn't 
hev  it,  tho'  ther  tears  jumped  ter  her  eyes  when  I 
offered  it,  and  she  remarked  she  b'lieved  I  war  the 
best  man  in  ther  world.  I  told  her  if  she  ever  needed 
a  friend  and  didn't  send  fer  me,  I  should  feel 
slighted. 

"  Then  I  hitched  up  and  druv  her  down  ter  the  sta 
tion.  She  sat  side  o'  me,  Jim — waiter,  more  brandy 
—in  course.  Lookin'  down,  I  cud  see  her  smooth 
cheek  and  clear-cut  profile,  and  thinkin'  I  war  takin* 
my  last  looks,  thar  was  sich  a  feelin'  of  all-goneative- 
ness  cum  over  me  thet,  do  yo'  know,  if  I  cud  ha'  got 
outer  one  side,  I  b'lieve  I  would  a-bawled  like  er 
hungry  calf. 

"  We  shook  hands  at  ther  station,  and,  not  mindin* 
ther  crowd,  she  reached  up  both  her  arms,  put  'em 
around  my  neck,  drew  my  head  down  'nd  kissed  me 
squar  on  the  mouth. 

"  It  perty  nigh  smothered  me,  and  I  said  in  a  low 
voice  :  '  Mrs.  Hazleton,  let  me  give  yer  ther  money. 
I  positively  has  no  use  in  the  world  fur  it.'  , 

"  She  give  me  a  sad  smile,  shook  her  head  and 
jumped  on  ther  train.  As  it  pulled  out  uv  ther 
station  she  nodded,  wavin'  her  hankerchiv  'nd 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  13! 

\ 

dropped  it  axidently.  I  picked  it  up,  I've  got  it  till 
yet.  I'll  allers  hev  it. 

"  Thet  war  ther  end.  Bolus  wouldn't  eat  fur  three 
days,  then  he  cut  me  dead  and  went  off  ter  a  neigh 
bor's  whar  ther  war  a  white  woman,  and  would  niver 
cum  back. 

'•  I  stood  it  three  months.  I  thot  I  should  die  uv 
the  blues. 

"  One  day  a  man  from  ther  No'th  stopped  off  at  ther 
ranch  fur  the  night.  After  supper  he  said  he  war 
a-lookin  fur  a  stock  ranch  fur  his  son.  I  said,  '  Why 
not  buy  mine  ?' 

"  Then  he  asked  all  'er  'bout  it ;  how  many  acres  ; 
how  much  stock  ;  'bout  the  water,  and  what  my  price 
war. 

"  I  told  him  $30,000  In  the  mornin'  he  gits  a  hoss, 
rode  round  with  ther  boys,  and  when  he  cum  back, 
went  down  inter  his  pocket,  drew  out  er  wallet,  and 
counted  out  thirty  $r,ooogold  notes,  saying  :  *  I  will 
take  ther  place.' 

'•  It's  a  go,'  says   I. 

"  We  went  ter  town  and  hed  ther  papers  fixed  up. 
That  war  last  February.  Then  I  started  out,  went 
slow  round  ter  New  York,  then  over  here  ;  I've  been 
up  to  Scotland,  over  to  Wales  ;  been  to  France  once  ; 
jest  cum  over  from  Ireland,  and  ev'ry  day  I  ride  'bout 
twenty  miles  in  this  'ere  town,  and  I've  never  found 
any  end  to  it  yet,  'cept  when  I  went  on  ther  keers1 
'nd  thet  day  I  went  ter  ther  races.  I  believe  it's 
bigger'n  all  Texas,  and  its  very  size  worries  me." 


132  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"What  have  you  marked  out  for  the  future?" 
asked  Sedsfwick. 

o 

"  Not  a  blamed  thing,"  was  the  response. 

"  How  would  you  like  to  take  a  trip  with  me?" 
asked  Sedgwick. 

"  I'll  go  ter  any  place  yo'  say,  Jim  ;  I  don't  keer 
how  fur,"  said  the  candid  man. 

"  Do  not  promise  too  quickly,"  said  Sedgw.ck.  "  I 
am  thinking  of  starting  for  South  Africa  in  two  or 
three  days." 

"South  Africa  goes,  if  yo'  say  so,"  said  Jordan; 
"I'my  ours  truly, blast  my  broad-horned  heart  if  I  ain't." 

"Well,  old  friend,  it  is  growing  late.  If  you  will 
be  here  to-morrow  morning  at  eight  I  will  tell  you  all 
that  is  on  my  mind,"  said  Sedgwick,  rising. 

"  I'll  be  har,"  said  Jordan. 

Sedgwick  stopped  to  settle  the  bill,  but  Jordan 
pushed  him  aside,  saying,  "  Not  to  any  particular 
extent,  if  we  knows  ourself."  He  tossed  a  tip  to  the 
waiter,  paid  the  bill,  and  was  going  to  add  a  shilling 
for  the  young  woman  who  was  the  cashier,  when, 
glancing  up  at  her,  he  changed  his  mind  and  made  it 
a  guinea,  because,  as  he  explained,  "  Her  hand  war 
sunthin'  like  Mamie's." 

oo 

The  friends  separated  at  the  door. 

It  was  eleven  p.  m.  when  Sedgwick  reached  the 
Hamlin  house.  He  would  not  have  gone  at  that 
hour,  except  that  he  had  been  given  a  pass-key  on 
the  first  day  he  was  there,  with  a  request  never  to  fail 
to  come  in,  no  matter  how  late  he  might  be  detained. 
Moreover,  he  wanted  to  see  Jack. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  133 

Before  he  could  open  the  door,  it  was  swung  back 
by  Grace.  She  explained  that  she  was  on  the  watch 
so  that  she  might  form  an  idea  of  what  hours  Sedg- 
wick  was  in  the  habit  of  keeping,  and  to  tell  him  how 
very  angry  she  still  was.  Then  she  gave  him  a  smile 
such  as  an  ang-el  mi^ht,  and  was  crone. 

o  *=>  o 

Sedgwick  went  at  once  to  Browning's  room,  but  he 
was  still  out.  Pie  crossed  over  to  his  own,  threw  off 
his  coat,  put  on  a  smoking-jacket  and  slippers,  and 
lighting  a  cigar,  sat  down  to  think. 

Before  very  long  Browning  came  in.  "  I  found  him," 
he  said.  "  He  was  shy  about  giving  me  the  facts, 
but  I  ginned  him  up  to  the  confessional  point.  He 
told  me  all  the  truth  at  last. 

"  He  received  but  ,£2,000  for  the  mine,  and  he  does 
not  believe  that  a  share  of  it  was  ever  sold  to  any  one 
but  me.  He  was  paid  the  ,£2,000  on  the  day  I 
bought  the  first  50,000  shares.  My  money  paid  for 
the  mine  ;  then  I  bought  it  over  again.  I  furnished 
the  purchase  money,  and  then"  bought  it  again,  pay 
ing  an  advance  of  500  per  cent.  And  the  job  was 
put  up  by  the  old  duffers  ;  Stetson  was  only  le\  in  to 
clear  the  old  chaps  when  the  truth  should  be  known. 
And  then  Stetson  wants  to  marry  my  Rose. 

"  But  the  man  told  me  that  the  mine  was  just  as 
described,  only  a  nasty  road  would  have  to  be  built 
to  it  that  would  probably  cost  ,£80,000  or  £i  00,000, 
and  the  mill  would  have  to  be  built.  It  looks  to  me 
like  a  total  loss,  Jim  ;  but  the  swindle  is  so  manifest 
that  I  believe  we  can  make  the  conspirators  disgorge 
at  least  the  last  half  that  they  robbed  me  of." 


134  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  room  was  still  for  many  minutes.  Then  Sedg- 
wick  said  :  "Jack,  I  thought  those  old  men  meant 
mischief  to  you  when  I  first  saw  them.  It  was 
because  of  that — at  least,  in  part  that — that  I 
remained.  But  one  is  your  stepfather — another  the 
stepfather  of  your  affianced  bride,  and  the  other 
a' mere  stool-pigeon.  There  must  be  no  scandal  if 
we  can  help  it.  I  believe  the  object  on  the  part  of 
Jenvie  was  to  keep  you  from  marrying  Rose  ;  what 
your  step-father  means  I  cannot  understand.  But 
anyway,  if  we  can  help  it,  there  must  be  no  scandal. 
We  shared  alike  in  Nevada.  I  have  as  much  money 
left  as  both  of  us  need.  We  share  alike  still.  But  no 
matter  about  that.' 

"  But  I  have  been  a  hopeless  idiot  to  let  these  men 
rob  me,"  said  Jack,  "and  except  for  Rose,  I  would 
pull  out  for  America  to-morrow.  I  would,  by  Jove  !" 

"  Your  mistake  was  entirely  natural,"  said  Sedg- 
wick.  "Had  my  father  wanted  all  my  money,  he 
could  have  got  it  for  the  asking.  Do  not  talk  about 
going  to  America  ;  that  would  be  '  conduct  unbecom 
ing  an.  officer  and  a  gentleman  '  ;  it  would  be  a  cow 
ardly  desertion  in  the  face  of  the  enemy.  Then,  you 
have  never  been  very  well  since  your  ducking  down 
on  the  Sussex  coast;  and,  besides,  you  have  entered 
into  obligations  here  so  sacred  that  you  must  not 
permit  a  little  whim,  or  even  a  great  disappointment, 
to  lead  you  to  think  about  trying  to  break  them.  Let 
us  go  to  sleep  now.  To-morrow  we  will  talk  over 
this  matter  more  fully.  I  want  a  few  more  hours  to 
think  and  to  make  up  my  mind  what  is  best  to  do." 
Jack  returned  to  his  room,  and  the  lights  were  put  out. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

TEARS  AND  ORANGE  FLOWERS. 

In  the  morning  Sedgwick  got  a  cup  of  coffee 
early,  and  was  just  going  out,  when  Grace  came  run 
ning  up  to  him  in  the  hall. 

"  I  believe  you  were  running  away,''  she  said  gaily, 
and,  seizing  his  arm,  declared  that  he  was  her  prisoner, 

He  told  her  that  it  was  true  he  was  running  away, 
but  would  be  back  before  very  long,  and  would  then, 
he  thought,  explain  everything. 

"Then  I  am  still  very  angry,"  said  she.  "I  am 
going  to  my  room  to  make  a  calculation  how  much 
I  am  being  slighted,  and  to  consult  the  fates  as  to 
what  penalties  shall  be  prescribed  before  you  can 
possibly  hope  for  forgiveness."  Then  she  smiled, 
stretched  out  her  hand  to  be  kissed  by  him,  then 
opened  the  door  and  said  softly,  "  Do  not  be  too  long 
away." 

Sedgwick  went  again  to  Jordan's  hotel  ;  found  him 
and  told  him  briefly  all  that  had  happened  ;  all  about 
Browning,  the  love  affairs  of  both,  and  how  Jack  had 
been  taken  in  on  the  mine  ;  ran  over  the  prospectus 
of  the  "  Wedge  of  Gold,"  and  explained  that  he 
meant  to  visit  the  property  ;  that  if  it  could  be  made 
available  with  the  means  he  had,  he  intended  to  im 
prove  it  and  bring  Jack's  shares  up  to  cost ;  that  no 
one  but  his  Grace  and  her  mother  was  to  know  when 

he  went  away,  that  he  was  not  going  to  America,  and 

135 


136  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

that  he  wanted  some  one  with  him  who  understood 
gold  quartz. 

Jordan  listened  with  increasing  interest  as  the  story 
was  told,  interrupting  only  when  Sedgwick  spoke  of 
his  love  for  Grace  Meredith,  and  when  he  explained 
how  Jack  had  been  swindled. 

To  the  first  he  joyfully  responded  :  "  I  am  glad, 
old  boy,  blast  my  broad-horned  heart  if  I  aint  !  She's 
a  daisy;  she's  a  real  woman  ;  and  I  thank  God  she 
found  yo'  and  tuk  pity  on  yo'." 

To  the  other  he  said  :  "  Well,  the  dod-durned, 
Newgate,  Rotten  Row,  British  thieves  !  How  I 
would  like  to  'ave  'em  in  Texas  for  one  short  quarter 
of  a  hour !" 

His   enthusiasm  was  at  its  height  at  the  close  of 

o 

Sedgwick's  story.      He  cried  out  : 

11  It'll  be  glorious,  Jim.  Ef  the  mine  can  be  worked 
up,  we'll  make  it,  sho'."  Then  after  a  pause,  he  said 
slowly  as  to  himself,  in  a  low  tone  :  "  It'll  take  me 
outer  myself,  maybe  ;  that'll  be  wo'th  mo'  to  me  than 
a  gold  mine." 

"But  it  is  a  tough  time  of  year,"  said  Sedgwick. 
"  The  Red  Sea  and  the  ocean  beyond  will  be  like 
furnaces  at  this  season." 

"  Red  Sea,  ocean,  furnace,  everything,  goes,"  said 
Jordan.  "  I  enlist  fo'  ther  wah." 

Another  meeting  was  arranged  for  that  afternoon, 
and  Sedgwick  returned  to  the  Hamlin  home. 

He  went  direct  to  Browning's  room,  tapped  on 
Jack's  door,  and  then  walked  in.  Jack  was  leaning 
upon  the  table,  thinking,  and  was  so  engrossed  that 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  137 

he  did  not   hear  the    tap   or  the  opening  of  the  door. 

He  started  up  as  Sedgwick  laid  his  hand  on  his 
shoulder,  and  said  :  "  I  don't  believe,  Jim,  that  I 
heard  you  come  in." 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  but,  Jack,  you 
must  hear  me  now."  Then  sitting  down  close  beside 
his  friend,  Sedgwick  went  on  : 

"  I  have  thought  this  business  all  out,  Jack.  I  be 
lieve  the  prime  motive  for  this  swindle  was  to  sepa 
rate  you  and  Rose,  and  prevent  your  marriage.  The 
first  thing  to  do  then,  is  to  secure  that  matter.  You 
must  see  Rose,  and  if  she  is  willing,  you  must  be 
married  to-morrow.  I  think  she  will  consent,  and 
that  her  mother  will  approve  it  when  she  shall  have 
been  told  the  truth.  This  must  be,  Jack  ;  first, 
because  those  old  scoundrels  will  continue  to  plot 
against  the  marriage  until  they  know  it  is  of  no  more 
use  ;  and  second,  I  want  to  go  away  to-morrow  even 
ing." 

"  It  cannot  be,"  said  Browning.  "They  took  all  my 
money.  They  left  me  but  a  beggarly  ,£12,500. 

"  How  much  did  you  keep  thinking  through 
so  long  a  time  would  be  sufficient  to  accumulate 
before  you  could  come  back  and  '  try  to  steal  Rose 
Jenvie  ?  '  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  O  yes,  I  know,"  said  Browning  ;  "  but  then  it  was 
different" 

"What  have  you  told  Rose  about  your  money  mat 
ters  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  Not  one  word,"  was  the  reply. 


138  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  Do  you  think  she  expects  a  no-account  boy  to  go 
off  to  America,  and  with  nothing  but  his  head  and  his 
hands  to  accumulate  more  than  ,£12,500  in  three  or 
four  years  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick.  "  But  this  is  all  fool 
ishness,  old  boy,"  he  continued.  "  The  last  half  of 
the  money  those  old  men  obtained  from  you  can  be 
recovered  easily,  if  not  all  ;  if  that,  after  awhile, 
proves  to  be  the  best  thing  to  do.  And,  moreover,  I 
tell  you  that  we  are  partners  in  this,  and  that  we  still 
have  as  much  money  as  you  and  I  can  very  well  han 
dle.  I  must  have  my  way  about  this,  old  friend." 

"  But  if  you  are  going  away,  why  cannot  I  go  with 
you  ?  "  asked  Browning. 

"  For  several  reasons,"  replied  Sedgwick.  "  If  you 
remain  here,  or  go  down  on  your  farm  in  Devonshire, 
the  conclusion  of  Jenvie  and  Hamlin  will  be,  that 
with  your  money  mostly  gone,  all  I  could  do  was  to 
return  to  America. 

"  Again,  no  one  knows  how  much  more  money  you 
have.  You  must  remain.  Be  generous  at  the  club, 
move'among  men,  keep  the  prestige  that  you  have  won 
since  you  came  here  ;  be  entirely  independent  ;  keep 
your  eye  on  the  man  the  mine  was  bought  from,  even 
if  you  have  to  pay  him  a  salary  to  insure  his  remain 
ing  here,  and  so  be  in  a  position  to  help  through  any 
line  of  action  we  may  agree  upon.  More,  you  must 
restrain  yourself  and  have  no  trouble  with  young 
Stetson.  He  is  as  much  fool  as  knave. 

"  Another  reason  is,  that  Rose  has  already  waited 
years  for  you,  and  it  would  be  a  wicked  and  cruel 
thing  to  disappoint  her  again.  It  would  kill  her 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  139 

and  unman  you.  No,  no.  you  must  be  married 
to-morrow.  But  Jack,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  never 
take  my  wife  back  under  the  Jenvie  roof  until  full 
reparation  should  be  made.  See  her,  and  gain  her 
consent  to  an  immediate  marriage  ;  then  go  and 
hire  a  house  or  make  arrangements  at  a  hotel  to  live, 
and  I  want  you  to  promise  that  you  will  not,  after  I 
shall  have  gone,  bring  any  suit  or  make  any  sign 
that  you  have  suffered  a  loss,  or  bother  yourself  much 
about  business  until  I  come  back,  oryou  receive  word 
of  me.  I  will  fix  money  matters  before  I  go,  so  that 
you  will  not  be  troubled.  And  now,  think  it  over." 

When  Jack  aroused  himself,  Sedgwick  had  disap 
peared.  He  sat  in  silence  for  a  few  minutes,  then 
rose,  went  out,  secured  a  conveyance,  called  and 
asked  Rose  to  go  out  for  a  drive. 

On  the  road  he  explained  to  Rose  all  that  had 
happened  ;  how  rich  he  was  when  he  came  home  ; 
how  his  confidence  had  been  betrayed  ;  how  little  he 
had  left,  and  then  asked  if  the  dear  girl  was  still 
willing  to  be  his  wife,  and  if  she  would  consent  to 
become  his  wife  next  day. 

She  laid  her  hand  on  his,  and  said  :  "  Dear  Jack  ! 
it  was  to  be  for  all  time  ;  your  home  to  be  my  home  ; 
your  God  my  God.  I  will  be  ready  when  you  come 
for  me.  I  will  go  exultingly  to  become  your  wife  ; 
my  joy  will  be  the  deeper,  for  it  will  be  chilled  with 
no  fear  of  the  future,  which  it  might  have  been  had 
!  known  you  possessed  ,£100,000.  What  you  have  is 
enough  for  us.  But,  Jack,  let  me  begin  to  influence 


I4O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

you.  Do  not  take  a  shilling  of  your  friend's  money 
unless  you  know  that  we  can  some  time  return  it." 

Later,  Jack  found  a  lovely  furnished  house,  the 
owner  of  which  desired  to  vacate  for  a  year  ;  hired  it, 
paid  a  year's  rent  in  advance,  engaged  the  servants  of 
the  family,  and  explained  that  he  would  bring  his 
wife  on  the  succeeding  day. 

On  that  same  day,  Sedgwick  sought  Grace,  and 
made  clear  to  her  the  situation,  explaining  how  Jack 
had  been  wronged,  what  he  had  advised  to  do  him,  and 
unfolded  his  own  plan  to  leave  the  next  day,  so  soon 
as  Browning  and  Miss  Jenvie  should  be  married — 
with  Jordan  for  South  Africa,  to  see  if  it  was  worth 
while  to  try  to  bring  out  the  property,  explaining  that 
if  the  mine  gave  no  strong  promise  he  would  be  back 
in  two  or  three  months.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  he 
and  Jordan  decided  it  was  good,  he  might  be  absent 
for  a  year,  and  asked  her  if  she  would  keep  the  secret 
of  where  he  had  gone,  and  if  she  were  sure  enough 
of  her  own  heart  to  undertake  to  wait  for  him. 

Grace  had  grown  very  white  and  still  while  Sedg. 
wick  was  speaking.  When  he  ceased  she  continued 
silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  said  : 

"  I  agree  to  it  all,  my  king,  all  but  one  thing." 

"And  what  is  that,  sweet  ?"  asked  Sedgwick 

She  leaned  over,  put  her  arm  around  her  lover's 
neck,  laid  her  cheek  against  his,  and  said  :  "  If  Jack 
and  Rose  are  to  be  married  to-morrow,  we  should  be 
married  also." 

41  But  I  am  going  away,  my  child,"  said    Sedgwick 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 


141 


"  I  know,"  was  her  response,  "  but  one  object  of 
my  father  in  trying  to  break  off  the  match  between 
Jack  and  Rose  was  to  try  to  have  Jack  marry  me. 
We  should  complete  the  work.  Then,  should  you 
need  me,  or  could  you  send  for  me,  I  could  go  better 
as  your  wife  than  any  other  way  ;  then,  when  I  gave 
my  heart  to  you  I  gave  it  entirely,  and  should  we 
never  meet,  I  would,  while  I  lived,  want  to  keep  in 
thought  that  you  were  my  husband  ;  that  I  was  your 
wife  ;  that  all  glory  had  come  to  me." 

By  this  time  the  tears  were  flowing  fast  down  her 
cheeks,  and  with  tears  in  his  own  eyes,  Sedgwick 
said: 

4<  I  wanted  to  ask  you,  dearest,  to  become  my  wife 
before  I  went  away,  but  thought  it  a  shame  to  so 
involve  you,  with  a  future  so  clouded  as  mine  is  to  be 
for  the  coming  months." 

"You  forget,"  she  replied,  "  that  it  is  my  right  in 
your  absence  to  think  of  you  as  my  husband." 

So  it  was  settled  that  on  the  next  day,  just  before 
noon,  they  should  be  married  ;  that  they  should  sepa 
rate  at  the  church,  she  to  return  with  her  mother, 
Sedgwick  to  start  with  Jordan  on  their  long  journey. 

Then  Grace  called  her  mother.  The  matter  was 
explained  to  her,  and  she  readily  consented  to  the 
marriage,  saying  to  Sedgwick:  "You  know  I  asked  you, 
in  case  Grace  returned  your  affection,  that  the  mattert 
might  for  the  present  be  held  a  secret.  My  reason 
was  that  I  felt  that.something  sinister,  which  I  could 
not  understand,  was  at  work.  I  think  you  and  Grace 
have  a  right  to  belong  to  each  other  ;  that  if  you  must 


142  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

go  away  Grace   is  right   in  wishing  that  when  you 
are  gone  she  can  think  of  you  as  her  husband." 

So  arranged,  Sedgwick  went  to  find  Jordan.  A 
steamer  had  sailed  the  previous  day  from  Southamp 
ton  for  Port  Natal,  via  the  Suez  Canal,  and  Sedg- 
wick's  plan  was  to  join  that  ship  at  Port  Said. 

He  found  Jordan,  told  him  of  the  change  in  the 
arrangements  ;  fixed  with  him  to  have  all  needed 
baggage  at  the  Dover  depot,  to  meet  him  at  the 
church  at  11:30  next  day,  and  after  the  ceremony  to 
start  with  him  from  the  church  on  their  long  journey* 

11  I'll  be  thar,  old  friend,"  said  Jordan.  "  Thet's  ther 
sensible  business.  Make  ther  splendid  girl  yo'r  wife, 
and  pervide  for  her  so  thet  if  anything  happens  she'll 
be  safe  agin  the  petty  cares  that  break  women's 
hearts." 

Then  Sedgwick  returned  to  the  Hamin  house,  and 
went  straight  to  Jack's  room. 

Browning  greeted  him  with  a  smile,  and  said, 
"Jim,  old  pard,  it's  all  right.  The  marriage  goes, 
even  as  you  planned,  and  I  have  found  and  secured  a 
nest  for  my  bird," 

"Good,"  said  Sedgwick;  "but  the  arrangements 
have  been  changed  a  little  ;  or,  I  might  say,  enlarged 
upon  a  little.  As  I  understand  it  now,  you,  with 
Rose  and  her  mother,  will  be  at  the  church  at 
1 1 130  to-morrow.  I  will  be  there  with  Mrs.  Hamlin 
and  Grace.  We  will  be  the  witnesses  of  your  mar 
riage,  and  then,  Jack,  old  man,  you  and  Mrs.  Brown 
ing  must  be  witnesses  for  Grace  and  me." 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  143 

Jack  sprang  from  his  chair,  and  cried  :  ''Are  you 
and  Grace  fond  of  each  other  ? 

"  Well,  somewhat,  I  trust,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  And  you  are  really  engaged  ? "  cried  Jack. 

"  For  all  this  life,  at  least,"  said  Sedgwick  ;  then 
added  gravely,  "  and  heaven  itself  would  be  a  cold  and 
cheerless  place  to  me  without  my  saving  Grace." 

Then  Browning  wrung  the  hand  of  Sedgwick, 
embraced  him,  danced  around  the  room  ;  then  shook 
hands  again,  crying:  "  This  is  superb!  this  is  glorious, 
by  Jove!  Why,  of  course  it  would  be  all  wrong  any 
other  way.  O,  Jim,  bless  my  soul,  how  glad  I  am  !" 

Then  Sedgwick  said :  "  Browning,  we  have  not 
much  time.  You  understand  I  will  leave  my  wife  "- 
his  voice  trembled — "  at  the  church  door.  I  am  go 
ing  away — where,  no  matter — with  a  thought  in  my 
mind  which,  please,  do  not  ask  me.  I  may  be  gone 
two  months,  maybe  six  months. 

"  Here  is  my  will.  Grace  will  keep  it.  Here  is 
a  check  for  her,  which  will  secure  her  comfort,  so  far 
as  money  is  concerned.  Here  is  a  check  for  ,£10,000 
for  you  and  Rose.  Grace  will  return  from  the  church 
to  this  house.  If  our  marriage  cause  any  friction 
here,  she  will  go  and  live  with  you  and  Rose.  I  am 
glad  you  have  secured  a  house.  If  I  were  you,  I 
repeat,  I  would  never  take  Rose  under  the  roof  of 
her  stepfather  until  I  received  full  restitution  from 
him.  Do  not  discuss  this  money  part  of  the  business 
any  more  ;  it  will  do  you  no  good.  And  when  I  am 
gone,  do  not  get  low  spirited.  Make  life  happy  for 
Rose,  and  " — he  halted  a  moment—  "  for  Grace." 


144  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  dinner  was  not  a  happy  one  that  day.  A 
cloud  was  on  the  Hamlin  house.  As  soon  as  possi 
ble  the  head  of  the  house  went  out.  He  was  quickly 
followed  by  Browning. 

The  eyes  of  Grace  and  Sedgwick  met.  They  both 
rose  from  the  table  and  passed  into  the  hall.  Grace 
twined  her  arms  around  one  of  his  and  led  him  into  the 
parlor.  She  swung  around  an  easy  chair,  made  him 
sit  down,  then  seated  herself  on  an  ottoman  at  his 
feet,  and  said:  "  It's  going  to  be  awfully  hard  to 
bear,  my  love  ;  but  I  have  thought  it  all  over,  and  I 
do  not  believe  I  should  ever  be  quite  satisfied  if 
you  should  not  perform  what  you  have  marked  out  as 
your  duty.  Of  course,  if  the  property  will  not  bear 
examination,  you  will,  if  nothing  wrong  happens  you, 
be  back  in  two  or  three  months.  If  it  will  justify  fur 
ther  exertion,  I  understand  it  will  be  likely  to  keep 
you  away  for  a  year,  and  that  will  be  fearful." 

The  tears  filled  her  eyes. 

"  But  that  will  be  duty,  and  then  if  you  conclude  to 
remain,  maybe  you  will  send  for  me.  It  will  not  mat 
ter  how  I  live.  I  would  go  now,  but  I  know  I  would 
be  a  trouble  to  you.  I  should  interfere  with  your 
work.  To-day  you  would  want  to  go  here  ;  to-night, 
there;  to-morrow  you  would  want  to  be  off  on  the 
mountains  ;  and  while  I  do  not  imagine  you  would 
think  me  a  burden,  nevertheless  your  very  best  ener 
gies  could  not  be  exerted,  and  this  time  they  must  be." 

She  seemed  very  resolute  as  she  spoke,  though  her 

face  was  sadder  than  Sedtrwick  had  ever  seen  it.    She 

& 

continued: 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  145 

"  I  shall  be  brave  when  the  hour  comes,  my  love. 
I  shall  not  vex  you  with  a  tear  when  we  separate. 
You  shall  carry  a  smile  as  my  last  gift  away  with 
you." 

Sedgwick  was  enchanted.  He  thought  her  the 
grandest,  noblest  woman  on  earth,  and  thanked  God 
for  his  treasure. 

After  awhile  he  told  her  of  Jordan,  and  all  that  he 
had  learned  from  him.  When  he  rehearsed  Jordan's 
love  episode,  she  kept  exclaiming  :  "  Poor,  true  man  ! 
Poor,  honest  fellow  !"  But  when  it  was  finished,  she 
said  :  "  Why,  love,  he  is  a  ninny;  that  woman  would 
never  have  left  him  had  he  but  had  more  faith  in  him 
self,  and  pressed  his  suit  a  little.  I  am  glad  he  is 
going  with  you.  You  will  be  a  comfort  to  him,  and 
his  mind  will  have  an  object  to  work  upon.  Poor 
fellow  ! "  she  added  with  a  sad  smile.  "  You  men  are 
very  brave  and  bright.  You  tear  down  mountains, 
exalt  valleys,  fight  battles,  navigate  great  ships,  tame 
wild  horses  and  lasso  wild  oxen,  but  you  do  not — the 
majority  of  you — know  any  more  about  a  woman's 
heart  than  a  Fiji  islander  does  of  Sanscrit." 

To  all  of  which  Sedgwick  responded  by  calling  her 
an  angel. 

Then  the  matter  of  their  marriage  was  talked  over, 
and  Sedgwick  advised  that  in  case  her  stepfather 
should  be  angry  upon  learning  of  the  event,  she 
should  take  up  her  home  with  Jack  and  Rose. 

"  My  father  will  not  show  much  vexation,"  she 
said.  "  If  he  begins  that  way,  I  will  remind  him  of 
the  fortune  he  has  taken  from  your  friend,  his  own 


146  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

step-son,  and  explain  that  it  was  his  and  Jenvie's  work 
that  made  necessary  what  we  shall  have  done." 

But  it  was  agreed  that  all  letters  to  her  should  be 
sent  to  a  private  box  in  the  postoffice,  to  which  Sedg- 
wick  gave  her  the  key.  It  was  agreed,  moreover, 
that  even  Jack  should  not  know  he  had  not  gone  to 
America,  because,  as  he  explained,  if  Jack  once  sus 
pected  he  was  going  to  Africa,  he,  too,  would  insist 
upon  going,  which  would  break  Rose's  heart,  who  had 
already  waited  for  years  ;  and  then  his  going  would 
be  altogether  unnecessary,  as  he  and  Jordan  could  do 
as  well  as  three  could.  Moreover,  to  go  would  be  to 
lose  what  he  had  advanced  on  the  Devonshire  es 
tate. 

They  both  tried  to  be  cheerful,  but  it  was  a  sad 
night.  When  they  came  to  separate,  Grace  broke 
down,  but  through  her  tears  promised  to  be  brave 
when  the  final  trial  came. 

Next  morning,  from  half  past  nine  to  half  past  ten, 
Sedgwick  and  Grace  were  saying  their  final  good 
byes.  It  was  an  hour  never  to  be  forgotten  by  them. 
Grace  did  not  attempt  to  restrain  her  tears.  In  both 
their  hearts  was  the  feeling  that  one  has  when  the 
last  look  is  being  taken  of  the  face  of  a  much-loved 
one  who  has  gone  to  the  final  rest.  There  were  kisses 
and  embraces  and  broken  words,  but  there  was  no 
faltering  on  either  side.  Both  were  supported  by'the 
thought  that  a  duty  had  been  presented  and  must  not 
be  avoided. 

At  10:30  they  retired  to  their  respective  apartments. 
Sedgwick  dressed  himself  in  a  business  suit  of  a  dark 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  147 

texture.  Grace  attired  herself  in  a  traveling  suit  and 
hat.  The  baggage  of  Sedgwickwas  sent  off  at  11:15, 
and  both  were  ready  when  the  carriage  came.  The 
carriage  with  Mrs.  Jenvie,  Rose  and  Browning  came 
up  almost  immediately,  and  the  two  vehicles  pro 
ceeded  to  the  church.  Quite  a  little  company  had 
gathered,  drawn  by  curiosity,  when  the  church  doors 
were  opened. 

Jordan  was  present,  radiant  in  a  new  suit,  with  a 
flower  in  his  coat  lapel,  and  he  answered  the  smile 
and  nod  that  each  couple  gave  him  as  they  passed  up 
the  aisle. 

As  stated  before,  Grace  was  in  a  traveling  suit,  but 
Rose  was  radiant  in  robe  and  train  and  orange  wreath, 
and  a  buzz  of  admiration  at  her  exquisite  beauty 
followed  her  all  the  way  to  her  place  before  the  altar. 

The  ceremony  proceeded  in  the  usual  order,  The 
mothers  gave  the  brides  away  ;  the  last  prayer  was 
finished,  the  kisses  given,  the  papers  duly  signed  and 
witnessed,  the  certificates  filled  out  and  given  to  the 
respective  brides,  and  the  company  turned  to  leave 
the  church. 

Then  Jordan  came  forward.  Sedgwick  presented 
the  two  elder  ladies  to  him,  and  all  greeted  him  most 
cordially.  In  response  he  said  : 

"  It's  the  whitest  kind  uv  a  day.  I'm  glad  terknow 
yo'  all  ;  glad  ter  congratulate  yo',  and  I  wanter  say  ter 
Mrs.  Sedgwick — Grace  grew  rosy  red  on  hearing  the 
appellation — that  I've  know'd  her  husband  a  long 
time,  and  he's  true  blue,  sho'  ;  there's  not  a  better  or 
a  braver  man  on  either  side  o'  ther  ocean." 


148  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

With  that  he  drew  a  package  from  his  pocket,  and 
tendered  it  to  Grace,  saying  :  "  I  wanter  give  yo'  a 
little  keepsake  fo'  yo'  husband's  sake." 

It  was  a  jewel  case  and  contained  a  diamond  cross 
worth  ^300. 

At  the  church  door  the  good-byes  were  spoken. 
Browning  and  his  bride  entered  one  carriage  and 
were  driven  away  to  Jack's  home.  The  two  elder 
ladies  and  Sedgwick's  bride  entered  the  other  car 
riage. 

True  to  her  promise,  Grace  gave  to  her  husband, 
who  stood  near,  a  smiling  good-bye,  but  when  the 
carriage  was  driven  away,  she  broke  into  uncontrol- 
eable  sobs,  wrung  her  hands  piteously,  and  not  until 
she  reached  home  did  the  paroxysm  of  grief  subside. 
She  went  to  her  room,  laid  by  all  her  bright  dresses 
and  ornaments,  robed  herself  in  simple  black — "  in 
mourning,"  she  said,  "  for  my  lost  honey-moon." 

Sedgwick  and  Jordan  entered  a  carriage,'  and  from 
it  boarded  the  Dover  train.  Not  a  word  was  spoken 
until  the  train  had  passed  beyond  the  great  city's 
outermost  limit,  when  at  last  Jordan  said  : 

"  Cum,  Jim,  brace  up.  It'll  be  all  the  sweeter  when 
this  accursed  bitter  cup  shall  be  passed." 

And  Sedgwick  answered :  "You  are  right,  old 
friend,  but  the  dear  girl  will  suffer.  That  last  smile 
was  such  as  is  given  when  hearts  break." 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SINISTER    SUCCESSES. 

When  the  old  men,  Jenvie  and  Hamlin,  reached 
their  homes  that  evening  and  learned  what  had  trans 
pired  during  the  day,  they  were  dumfounded.  Hardly 
tasting  any  dinner,  Hamlin  arose  from  the  table  and 
sought  the  house  of  Jenvie.  He  met  Jenvie  at  the 
door  who  was  just  going  out  to  find  Hamlin.  They 
went  at  once  to  Jenvie's  library,  and  when  Jenvie 
motioned  Hamlin  to  a  seat  and  took  another  himself, 
it  was  a  long  time  before  either  spoke. 

At  last  Hamlin  said:  "  A  bad  business,  Jenvie." 

"  I  do  not  see  how  it  could  be  worse,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  I  am  too  confused  to  think,"  said  Hamlin. 

"  We  got  Jack's  money  from  him,  and  yet  he  and 
Rose  are  married,  and  it  seems  with  Rose's  mother's 
full  consent,"  said  Jenvie. 

"  And  a  stranger  of  whom  we  know  almost  nothing 
has  married  Grace  and  left  her  at  the  church  door, 
and  it  was  with  her  mother's  full  consent,  also,"  said 
Hamlin. 

"  And  neither  you  nor  myself  is  in  a  position  to 
complain;  I  have  not  the  courage  to  even  storm  about 
it,"  said  Jenvie. 

"  Nor  have  I,"  responded  Hamlin.  "  I  did  not 
intend  to  keep  Jack's  money.  I  wanted  to  break  off 


I5O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

his  engagement,  and  then  offer  him  a  little  fortune  if 
he  would  marry  Grace." 

"  I  was  determined  that  he  should  not  marry  Rose, 
even  if  I  had  to  rob  him  to  prevent  it.  Curses  on 
him  !  He  knocked  me  senseless  while  he  was  yet  a 
mere  boy.  And  now  he  has  given  me  a  harder  blow. 
He  has  stolen  Rose  from  under  my  spectacles,married 
her,  pauper  that  he  is,  and  gone  to  housekeeping." 

"  What  shall  we  do  ?"  asked  Hamlin. 

"Look  here,"  said  Jenvie,  "  this  move  is  that 
American's  who  has  married  your  daughter.  He  is 
more  subtle  than  Jack.  He  has  engineered  this 
business.  But  I  cannot  fathom  it.  Why  should  he 
have  left  his  bride  at  the  church  door  and  gone  off  to 
America  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  can  understand  that,"  said  Hamlin. 
"  While  Jack  has  made  his  ,£100,000,  Sedgvvick  made 
a  little  more  than  ,£20,000.  He  left  that  with  his 
father  to  buy  a  farm  in  the  States,  and  came  with  Jack 
merely  as  a  lark. 

"  I  think  ne  has  gone  for  as  much  of  that  as  may 
be  left,  and  that  before  a  month  he  will  return,  and 
will  back  Jack  in  a  suit  to  recover  from  us  Jack's 
money." 

"  Why,  what  can  they  hope  to  recover  by  a  suit  ?" 
asked  Jenvie.  "  If  mining  stocks  are  offered  to  a 
man  and  he  buys  them,  and  they  do  not  turn  out 
well,  whose  loss  ought  it  to  be  ?  Then  we  sold  noth 
ing.  It  was  Stetson  who  did  the  business." 

"  But,"  said  Hamlin,  "  if  a  man  is  induced  by  false 
representations  to  buy  wild-cat  shares,  and  he  seeks 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

recourse  through  our  English  courts,  will  he  not 
recover  ?  " 

"  I  made  no  special    representations,"  said  Jenvie. 

"That  will  not  answer,"  said  Hamlin.  "You 
made  enough  representations  ;  so  did  I.  It  was  a 
direct  swindle,  and  I  did  my  part  intending  to  make 
restitution.  This  business  has  practically  destroyed 
the  peace  of  our  own  homes.  My  wife  never  gave  me 
a  look  of  thorough  contempt  until  to-day." 

"  Neither  did  mine,"  said  Jenvie.  Then  there  was 
a  long  silence. 

At  last  Jenvie  said:  "  Hamlin,  there  is  but  one 
thing  to  do.  We  must  go  to  Jack  to-morrow,  good- 
naturedly  chide  him  and  Rose  for  being  married  with 
out  our  knowledge,  each  carry  a  present,  and  as  soon 
as  possible  settle  with  Jack,  and  get  his  receipt  in 
full,  before  the  return  of  that  American  devil  that 
tumbles  bulls,  and  might  trip  two  old  John  Bulls  like 
you  and  me." 

"I  agree  to  that,"  Hamlin  responded.  "  We  can 
tell  him  that  bad  news  from  the  mine  has  decided  us 
not  to  go  on  with  the  mill  building ;  that  we  will  help 
bear  the  loss  of  the  first  investment,  and  tender  him 
back  ,£25,000.  He  will  not  only  be  glad  to  settle 
with  us  for  that,  but  will  feel  grateful  to  us." 

So  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  go  at  noon  of 
the  succeeding  day. 

They  each  next  morning  purchased  a  valuable 
present,  and  repaired  to  Jack's  house. 

They  were  shown  in,  and  their  cards  sent  to  Brown 
ing, 


152  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  servant  returned  in  a  moment  and  said  :  "  Mr. 
Browning  is  engaged,  and  declines  seeing  the  gentle 
men." 

They  went  out  incensed,  but  with  such  a  mixed 
feeling  of  anger,  chagrin,'  self-abasement,  and  appre 
hension  as  they  had  never  experienced  before. 

A  day  or  two  later  Hamlin  met  Mrs.  Browning 
face  to  face  on  the  street.  He  rushed  up  to  her  with 
a  joyful  cry  of  "  O  Rose  !  "  whereupon  she  drew  her 
skirts  around  her  so  that  they  would  not  touch  him, 
and  walked  by.  ' 

Not  long  after,  Jenvie  met  Browning  and  addressed 
him  joyously.  Jack  looked  him  steadily  in  the  face 
for  a  moment  and  then  walked  on. 

These  were  unhappy  days  for  the  old  men.  Some 
thing  had  fallen  on  their  homes  worse  than  a  funeral, 
and  in  their  souls  the  fear  of  the  coming  of  Sedg- 
wick  became  a  perpetual  haunting  specter  before 
their  eyes.  Stetson  joined  in  their  apprehensions, 
and  then  he  realized  besides  that  if  he  had  ruined 
Jack,  still  Jack  had  married  Rose. 

But  as  the  days  grew  into  weeks,  they  began  to 
have  hope.  They  made  two  or  three  investments 
that  gave  them  quick  returns  and  large  profits.  Suc 
cess  begets  confidence.  The  men  on  change  began 
to  look  upon  them  as  rising  bankers  ;  deposits  in 
creased  heavily,  and  so  many  enterprises  were  offered 
them  to  promote,  that,  without  using  a  dollar  ol  their 
own  means,  their  commissions  began  to  be  enormous. 

•'  We  are  on  the  rising  tide,"  said  Jenvie. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  153 

"  Indeed  we  are,  "  said  Hamlin.  "  If  the  suit  comes 
now,  we  can  settle  without  any  business  or  domestic 
scandal." 

"  It  is  nothing  to  make  money  when  a  man  once 
gets  a  start,"  said  Jenvie,  "but  I  would  be  glad  to  be 
fully  reconciled  with  my  wife  and  child," 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A    TRIP    TO    AFRICA. 

Sedgwick  and  Jordan,  with  only  now  and  then  a 
few  words  of  conversation,  reached  the  coast  and 
embarked  on  the  channel  steamer.  A  fresh  wind 
was  blowing,  and  the  craft  was  shamefully  unsteady. 

"  It  must  uv  been  heah,  Jim,  whar  ther  original 
mustang  learned  his  cussedness,"  said  Jordan.  "  See 
how  ther  steam  devil  performs,  startin'  up  ez  tho'  it 
meant  to  climb  a  wave  and  then  without  er  prover- 
cation  rollin'  half  way  over  and  all  ther  time  shakin 
hisself  an'  makin'  things  thet  uncomfortable  thet  ther 
man  aboard,  while  sayin'  nothin',  wishes  all  ther  time 
he'd  never  tackled  ther  brute.  Didn't  ther  useter 
call  ther  sea,  *  Mare  ? '  I  know  why,  she  were  a  mus 
tang  shor." 

Sedgwick's  face  kindled  with  the  ghost  of  a  laugh, 
and  he  agreed  that  Jordan's  theory  was  not  a  bad 
one. 

"  But,  Jim,"  said  Jordan,  "this  war  er  famous  old 
place  after  all." 

"  Yes,"  said  Sedgwick  ;  "  history  has  compiled  some 
of  its  wonderful  pages  right  here.  We  are  where 
the  Great  Armada  sailed,  the  souls  of  those  on 
board  believing  they  were  going  to  make  the  con 
quest  of  England.  Here  is  where  Howard  gave  that 
fleet  its  first  blow  ;  here  is  where  Howard  and  Drake 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  155 

sent  their  fire  ships  to  play  havoc  with  the  hostile 
fleet.  A  great  place  indeed!  But  it  was  only  300 
years  ago  that  Howard  and  Drake  performed  their 
part ;  before  their  day  many  a  fleet  swept  over  this 
watery  way ;  the  Crusaders  crossed  here ;  before 
them,  a  thousand  years,  the  great  Julius  came  and 
invaded  England  ;  before  him,  a  hundred  savage 
nations  worked  their  rude  boats  in  these  turbulent 
seas.  When  the  light  of  civilization  well-nigh  went 
out  in  the  land  where  it  was  first  kindled,  it  was 
re-lighted  on  these  shores,  and  though  it  burned 
slowly  for  a  long  time  it  never  quite  went  out  ;  rather, 
it  grew  brighter  and  brighter  until  its  sheen  began 
to  fill  the  world.  Bright  souls  have  peopled  both 
sides  of  this  channel ;  both  are  lands  of  fair  women 
and  brave  men  ;  their  literature  has  made  the  world 
gentler  and  higher;  their  laws  dominate  mankind; 
their  power  is  a  controlling  force  among  the  nations ; 
they  make  the  center  of  the  world's  wealth  ;  they  are 
each  examples  of  how  much  men  may  accomplish  on 
small  areas  of  land,  provided  they  possess  sovereign 
hearts  and  brains  and  souls." 

The  ship  scraped  against  the  pier  while  Sedgwick 
was  talking,  and  the  travelers  hurried  on  their  way. 
At  Paris  they  were  detained  several  hours,  and 
Jordan  hiring  a  carriage,  they  took  in  as  much  of  the 
beautiful  city  as  possible. 

Jordan  all  the  time  exerted  himself  to  talk,  and  by 
asking  questions  to  compel  Sedgwick  to  think  of  some 
thing  besides  the  sad-browed  bride  whom  he  had  left 
in  London. 


156  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"What  war  the  special  charm  'bout  Paris,  Jim? 
I  feel  it,  but  blamed  ef  I  can  splain  it  even  ter 
myself,"  said  he. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  replied  his  friend,  "  but  I  suspect, 
Tom,  it  is  the  culmination  of  something  which  has 
for  a  thousand  years  been  maturing.  Long  ago,  a 
full  thousand  years,  there  was  an  Emperor  here  who 
was  in  advance  of  his  generation.  He  believed  that  a 
perfect  education  meant  the  full  enlightenment  of  the 
mortal,  that  his  hands  and  eyes  as  well  as  his  mind 
must  be  disciplined,  that  every  useful  attribute  must 
be  trained.  So  he  built  cathedrals  to  improve  the 
taste  of  the  people,  established  free  drawing  schools, 
had  the  people  taught  the  secret  of  fusing  worth 
less  material  with  acute  brains  and  making 

o 

something  valuable — something  which  the  rich  are 
glad  to  give  their  gold  in  exchange  for.  That  em 
peror  died,  but  his  work  continued  to  live  and  increase 
until  France  became  a  nation  of  artisans  and  artists, 
and  that  art  has  now  become  second  nature,  and 
therein  lies  the  charm.  See  how  yonder  lady  picks 
up  her  drapery  to  cross  the  street  ;  not  ten  women  in 
England  could  do  that  little  thing  as  she  does.  Do 
you  know  the  reason  why  ?  She  caught  the  art 
originally  from  old  Charlemagne.  That  is,  thirty 
generations  ago,  the  old  Emperor  established  the 
schools  which  made  possible  the  perfection  of  the 
present,  and  the  graceful  art  of  that  lady  is  in  truth  a 
graceful  compliment  to  the  old  soldier-Emperor 
who  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago  fell  back  to  dust." 
"  I  reckon  yo'  are  right,  Jim,"  said  Jordan.  "  When 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  157 

I  was  heah  afore,  I  put  up  at  er  tavern  whar  ther  war 
young  women  as  waited  on  ther  table.  I  jest  had 
plain  food,  in  course,  but  when  one  o'  them  young 
women  brot  me  ther  bill,  she  would  hand  et  out  in  sech 
er  way  thet  tho'  I  knowed  she  war  a-robbin'  me,  I  never 
thot  o'  pertestin' ;  rather,  she  war  shor  ter  git  er  tip  in 
addition.  Talk  er  high  art, them  girls  war  daisies,  shor. 
Onetime  thar  war  a  row.  A  dapper  feller  disputed 
er  bill.  He  thumped  his  heart,  waved  his  arms, 
and  made  er  speech  like  er  politician.  Ther  perprieter 
cum  in,  then  both  made  speeches.  1  thot  ther  would 
be  shootin'  or  cuttin',  sartin,  but  finally  one  rushed 
out,  and  I  tho't  in  course  lied  gone  for  a  gun.  While 
waitin'  ter  see  ther  fun,  I  seen  over  at  er  table  a  feller 
smilin'  like,  and  I  tho't  by  his  face  he  war  a  Yankee, 
so  I  went  over,  and  sez  I:  '  parler  vouse  Fronsa?' 
Then  he  laffed  and  said:  '  Yes,  a  little,  but  I  under 
stand  English  better.'  Then  I  shuk  his  hand  'nd 
axed  him  wot  ther  row  war,  an  'nd  ef  he  tho't  that  thar 
man  hed  gone  fur  a  wepin.  He  smiled  sort  o'  quiet- 
like,  and  said  :  'No,  it  war  jest  a  difficulty  about  an 
overcharge  of  five  sous,  and  it's  all  settled.'  '  All  that 
row  for  five  sous  ?  '  I  asked.  '  Yes,'  he  answered. 
Then  I  said,  '  My  God,  suppose  it  hed  a-been  five 
francs,  it  would  uv  been  ez  good  ez  er  play.'  Yo' 
see,  that  old  trick  thet  they  got  from  big  Charlie, 
they  overplay  sometimes," 

Sedgwick  smiled  faintly,  and  Jordan  continued  : 
"  But   are  they  not   er  light-hearted,    joyus    race, 
tho  '  ?     How  they  can  sing  'nd  dance  'nd  play  hades  ! 
When  I  war  heah  they  hed  a  review  uv  ther  soldiers, 


158  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

'nd  how  ther  hull  town  turned  out  'nd  yelled  'nd  yelled 
'nd  sung  ther  Marseilles,  'nd  yet  ther  scars  and  humilit- 
ation  uv  ther  mighty  defeat  war  still  fresh  upon  them. 
They'r  ez  hopeful  ez  ther  Irish,  same  time  they  is  a 
great  deal  closer  traders.  Ther  stranger  pays  fur  eny 
bow  they  make,  for  any  smile  they  give.  Still,  they  is 
country-loving  ;  every  one  uv  'em  V  ready  ter  die  fur 
there  beautiful  France, 'nd  ther  women  ez  iest  ez'thuse- 
astic  ez  ther  men.  If  I  war  young  'nd  cud  round  up 
ther  language  a  little,  I'd  camp  heah  fur  six  months." 

"  The  place  is  worth  a  longer  visit, "said  Sedgwick, 
"  just  to  study  its  past,  to  go  over  the  spots  made 
sacred  in  history,  to  study  the  monuments,  to  visit 
galleries  ;  to  dream  of  all  the  events  which  transpired 
to  round  the  present  city  into  form  ;  to  trace  the 
city's  career  through  wars,  revolutions,  uprisings, 
victories  and  defeats;  to  learn  the  processes,  and 
count  the  throes  which  were  necessary  before  the 
manhood  of  the  people  asserted  its  superiority  over 
the  manhood  of  kings. 

"  Think !  It  is  but  sixty  years  since  the  great 
Corsican  led  his  army  out  of  here  to  his  last  cam 
paign.  One  can  picture  him  now  in  thought,  moving 
up  this  very  street,  the  old  familiar  sovereign  face, 
eyes  straining  towards  the  star  that  even  then  had 
become  a  fallen  star,  his  ears  thrilled  with  the  plaudits 
of  shouting  armies  and  shouting  people,  his  soul  imper 
turbable  in  its  dream  of  conquest.  Then  the  man  was 
everything,  the  people  nothing ;  now  the  people  are 
everything,  the  man — he  is  asleep  and  his  heart  is  not 
colder  in  the  grave  than  it  was  in  life." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ON    THEIR    TRAVELS. 

But  at  last  the  hour  for  leaving  came,  and  Sedg- 
wick  and  Jordan  took  the  train  and  proceeded  with 
out  delay  to  Marseilles,  where  one  of  the  steamers  of 
the  French  Imperial  Messenger  Line  was  about  to 
sail  for  Port  Said.  They  at  once  secured  transport 
ation,  went  on  board,  and  a  few  hours  later  the 
ship  proceeded  to  sea.  The  weather  was  fair  on  the 
Mediterranean,  and  putting  aside  any  personal  sor 
rows,  Jordan  exerted  himself  to  be  cheerful  for  Sedg- 
wick's  sake. 

"  This  are  ther  water  on  which  men  fust  learned  ter 
be  sailors,  arn't  it,  Jim  ?"  he  asked.  "  I  mean  whar 
they  fust  got  inter  ther  notion  of  venturin'  out  whar 
ther  old  shore-shaker  could  git  a  good  hold  on  'em  ?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Sedgwick.  "This-  and  the  Red 
Sea.  The  Egyptians,  the  Carthagenians,  the  Phoe 
nicians,  the  Syrians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and  a 
dozen  other  nations  ;  later,  the  Venetians  and  Span 
iards,  and  no  one  knows  how  many  other  nations,  all 
learned  how  to  build,  navigate,  and  fight  ships  on 
these  waters.  Think  of  it,  Jordan,  there  were  sea 
fights  here  almost  seven  hundred  years  before  the 
Christ  came.  On  this  sea  floated  the  fio^htincr  Eire- 

o  <•> 

mes,    Triremes,   and   Ouinquiremes   of  the     Greeks, 
Carthagenians,    and  Romans ;  and    here   the    Egyp- 


159 


l6o  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

tians  and   Phoenicians  trained  their  ships  three  thou 
sand  years  before  the  crucifixion. 

44  Could  this  sea  give  up  its  dead — its  dead  men  and 
its  dead  ships  ;  could  they  all  come  back  as  they 
looked  the  moment  before  they  sank,  they  would 
make  a  panorama  of  the  ages,  and  would  show  the 
progress  of  the  world  for  five  thousand  years.  Every 
mile  square  of  this  sea  must  be  paved  with  things 
which  were  once  glorious  in  life  and  power.  Maybe 
below  where  we  are  sailing  here,  helmeted  Roman 
soldiers,  being  transported  to  some  point  of  contem 
plated  conquest,  went  down.  Here  pirate  craft  have 
roamed  ;  here  lumbering  wheat  ships  have  ploughed 
their  way  ;  here  the  watches  have  been  set  by  the 
crews  of  a  hundred  nations  ;  here  sailors  have  been 
cursed  in  a  thousand  tongues.  Along  these  shores 
ship-building  had  its  birth  ;  from  these  shores  the 
ships  sailed  out  over  these  waters,  engaging  in  foreign 
commerce,  and  the  camel-owner  on  the  land  learned 
to  hate  the  thing  which  on  the  water  could  carry  the 
burden  of  many  camels.  One  could  sit  all  day  and 
conjure  up  the  ghosts  that  these  blue  waters  are 
peopled  with." 

"  Go  ahead,  Jim,"  said  Jordan.  "Thet  sounds  as  it 
useter  when  yo'  read  to  us  in  ther  old  house  thar  in 
Texas.  What  war  thet  book  that  told  all  'bout  Lissis 
and  Ajax,  the  hoss-tamer  Diamed,  and  the  boss  fight 
ers,  Killes  and  Hector,  and  ther  pretty  gal  Helen, 
that  raised  all  the  hel-lo,  and  Dromine,  the  squar 
woman  thet  war  Hector's  wife,  and  hed  the  kid  thet 
war  afeerd  of  the  old  man's  headgear  ?" 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  l6l 

"  That  was  the  Iliad,  Jordan,"  said  Sedgwick, 
"  the  first  book  that  we  read.  The  story  was  the 
siege  of  Troy,  That  was  a  city  over  on  the  east  shore 
of  this  very  sea,  and  the  Greeks  went  over  there  in 
their  boats  and  besieged  it  for  nine  years  before  they 
captured  it." 

"  How  long  ago  war  that,  Jim?"  asked  Jordan. 

"  Three  thousand  years,"  was  the  reply. 

"  But  they  were  fighters,  them  fellers  ?"  said  Jordan. 

''Yes,  great  fighters,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"And  their  bosses  war  thoroughbreds,  everyone? 
Isn't  thet  so,  Jim  ?  "said  Jordan. 

"  They  were  great  horses,  indeed,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Powerful,"  said  Jordan,  "  good  for  fo'  mile  heats, 
sho'?  And  thet  other  chap,  Nais,  didn't  he  settle 
round  here  somewhar  ?  " 

"  You  mean  /Eneas,  Jordan.  It  was  in  Virgil  that 
we  read  that.  /Eneas  was  of  the  family  of  that 
Priam  who  was  king  of  Troy  when  the  siege  was  on. 
He  got  away  in  a  ship  and  finally  landed  and  settled 
in  southern  Italy,  off  here  to  our  left,  and  the  legend 
goes  that  his  descendants  founded  Rome." 

"  Yo'  don't  mean  ter  say  he  wur  ther  'riginater  uv 
ther  Dagoes  ?  "  said  Jordan. 

"Well,"  said  Sedgwick,  with  a  laugh,  "you  know 
at  that  time  there  were  wild  tribes  in  Italy.  Then 
there  came  in  Greek  colonies,  and  all  races  fused  and 
assimilated,  even  as  did  the  Romans  and  Sabines 
when  the  former  captured  a  company  of  the  women 
of  the  latter  and  made  them  their  wives.  Out  of  it 
all  arose  the  mighty  Roman  nation." 


1 62  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  They  inbred  with  mustangs,  so  ter  speak,"  said 
Jordan,  "and  these  common  Dagoes  is  whar  they 
has  bred  back  showin'  bad  stock  in  ther  dam." 

"  May-be,"  said   Sedgwick. 

"  Half-breeds  is   no  good,  as  a  rule,  but   that  Nais 

o 

war  a  good  one."' 

"  A  good  one,  I  guess,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  He's  ther  feller  that  Queen — what's  her  name  ? — 
O,  yes,  Queen  Dido  got  soft  on  ?"  queried  Jordan. 

"Yes,  Queen  Dido,"  was  the  response. 

"  And  she  got  looney-like  when  he  cum  away,  and 
uv  nights  would  go  down  on  ther  shore  and  watch 
for  him  to  cum  back  ?"  said  Jordan. 

"  So  the  legend  has  come  down,  and  by  the  way," 
added  Sedgwick,  <4  her  country  was  on  this  sea  also, 
farther  east  and  south,  off  to  the  right.  It  was 
called  Carthage." 

"  Say,  Jim,"  said  Jordan,  "  them  folks  was  a  good 
deal  like  we  is,  after  all,  wuzn't  they  ?  They'd  fight 
for  most  nuthin';  they'd  get  gone  on  wimmen  ;  liked 
good  hosses  ;  they'd  trade  and  work  try  in'  ter  get 
rich  ;  and  ef  they  hed  hearn  of  a  gold  mine,  they'd 
gone  ter  Arizony  for  it." 

"  I  guess  you  are  right,  Jordan,"  said  Sedgwick. 
*'  you  always  are.  The  world  changes  its  methods, 
but  the  original  man  is  about  what  he  has  always 
been." 

"  Wurn't  it  from  thet  place  Carthage  that  ther 
black  feller  cum  what  held  ther  Dagoes  so  level  fur 
so  long  ?"  asked  Jordan. 

"  Hannibal,  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  Sedgwick. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  163 

"Ther  same,"  replied  Jordan. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Sedgwick,  "  and  a  marvelous  soldier 
and  leader  of  men  he  was,  to  be  sure." 

''Indeed,  he  wur ;  but  say,  Jim,  what  do  yo'  cal- 
cerlate  his  pedigree  wur  ?  " 

"  Why,  he  came  from  a  family  of  kings  and  fighting 
men,"  answered  Sedgwick. 

"Yes,  I  know  ;  but  I  mean  what  breed  war  he? 
War  he  one  of  them  ere  Ethiopians  ?"  said  Jordan. 

"  No,  I  think  not,"  answered  his  friend.  "He 
was  dark  like  an  Arab  or  a  Moor,  buthe  belonged  to  a 
race  that  built  cities  and  ships,  tamed  horses,  and 
fought  scientific  battles." 

"  'Zactly,"  said  Jordan.  "And  he  wur  a  fighter 
from  way  back? " 

"  Yes,"  responded  Sedgwick,  "  when  the  few  great 
captains  in  the  world  are  thought  of,  he  is  about  third 
or  fourth  in  the  list." 

"  Thay  ain't  much  in  men,  Jim.  Thar's  everything 
in  a  man,"  said  Jordan. 

"  That  is  what  Napoleon  used  to  say,"  was  Sedg- 
wick's  answer. 

"Did  Napoleon  say  thet?  "  asked  Jordan.  "He  war 
a  brighter  man  than  I  thought,  but  it  is  true,  don't 
yo' think,  Jim?" 

"I  think  I  understand,  but  am  not  quite  sure," 
said  Sedgwick. 

"  I  mean  this,"  he  answered,  and  then  paused  a 
moment.  "  Well,  yo'  see,"  he  continued,  "  I  wur  at 
Chickamauga  in  Hill's  division,  I  wur  in  thur  ranks, 
and  wur  a  boy  ;  but  I  hed  a  general  idee  how  things 


164  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

wur.  I  knowed  whar  all  our  men  war ;  how  your 
army  war  'ranged,  and  when  we  went  in  shouting 
and  all  your  right  and  left  melted  away  like  a  fog  as 
comes  up  from  the  gulf  melts  when  the  sun  comes  up 
in  ther  mornin',  I  sed  to  Ned  Sykes,  who  wur  next 
me  in  ther  ranks,  'Ned,  we's  got  'em,'  and  Ned 
answered  back,  'we's  got  'em,  sho'.' 

"  Well,  it  wur  a  clar  field,  'ceptin'  your  center  war 
still  solid,  and  they  fell  back  all  but  a  thin  line.  We 
charged  up  onto  thet  and  broke  it,  killed  lot's  uf  'em, 
and  gobbled  up  lots  more,  but  it  tuk  us  a  right  smart 
time,  fur  them  was  stubborn  chaps  'nd  they  fought 
desperate. 

44  Then  when  I  looked  up,  1  seen  the  hull  business. 
Thet  line  hed  been  flung  out  ter  hold  us  till  ther  rest 
cud  fall  back  on  better  ground.  Thar  they  wuz  fixed, 
and  when  our  lines  wuz  dressed  and  other  charge 
ordered,  and  we  went  in  again  shoutin'  jest  like  the 
fust  time,  they  laid  down  flat  and  they  'gin  it  ter  us 
so  hot  we  couldn't  stand  it  and  hed  ter  fall  back. 

"  And  they  kept  a-entertainin'  of  us  thetway  all  ther 
evenin'.  Other  divisions  wur  called  up  and  sent  in, 
but  what  wur  left  uv  'em  cum  streamin'  back,  jest  ez 
often  ez  it  wur  tried  ;  a  cavalry  charge  was  ordered, 
but  only  a  remnant  cum  back,  and  we  hed  made  no 
more  impression  seemin'ly  than  ther  waves  thet  bucks 
upainn  a  ledge  uv  rocks. 

1  O  O 

"  Them  wur  no  better  soldiers  than  ther  rest  uv  ther 
army,  but  thar  war  a  man  directin'  'em,  and  lookin' 
all  ther  time  so  kinder  majistical  and  lofty  and  so  fur 
away  from  all  fear,  and  ez  tho'  he  hedn't  a  thot  of 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  165 

failin',  thet  ther  men,  yo'  see,  tuk  on  ther  same  state 
o'  mind,  and  ter  fight  'em  war  no  use.  If  the  fust 
bullet  we  fired  hed  killed  thet  General,  we  would  a- 
scooped  the  hull  army  by  four  o'clock.  Thet's  what 
I  mean  when  I  say  :  '  They  ain't  much  in  men,  thar's 
everything  in  a  man  ! ' ' 

4i  I  understand  you  fully,  and  you  are  right,  Jordan," 
said  his  friend. 

Jordan  continued  "  War  it  not  'round  yere  some- 
whar'  thet  ther  Greeks  lived  ?  " 

"  Yes,  north  of  this  sea,  ahead  of  us,  and  to  the  left," 
said  Sedgwick. 

"  They  wur  the  ones  that  fit  Marathon  and  Ther- 
moperlee,  and  it  wur  from  ther  thet  big  Aleck  cum  ?" 
asked  Jordan. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  reply.  "  It  was  only  a  little  country, 
but  had  many  states,  The  Spartans  and  Thespians, 
mostly  the  Spartans,  fought  at  Thermopylae.  Mara 
thon  was  fought  mostly  by  Athenians,  and  Alexander 
was  Phillip's  son,  of  Macedonia." 

"'Zactly,"  said  Jordan.  ''Athens  wur  the  boss 
place,  wur  it  not  ?  It  had  ther  best  talkers,  and  best 
public  schools,  and  wur  it  not  thar  thet  the  woman 
Frina  kept  house  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Phrynewasan  Athenian,  I  believe,  a  woman 
of  a  good  model,  but  not  a  model  woman,"  said  Sedg 
wick,,  with  a  faint  smile. 

"  I  reckon  yo'  wur  right,  Jim,"  said  Jordan,  "but  it 
wur  not  singular  she  bested  them  fellers  in  her  law 
suit.  Her  showin'  would  ha'  brought  a  Texas  jury 


1 66  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

every  time,  sho',  in  spite  of  any  'structions,  no  matter 
how  savage,  from  ther  court." 

Then  he  continued,  "Thar  wur  another  bad  one 
'round  here,  somewhar.  Don't  yo'  reclect  readin' 
'bout  her  and  ther  Roman  ?  They  got  spoony  on 
one  another.  He  neglected  his  family  and  business, 
he  wur  thet  fur  gone  ;  finally  got  hisself  killed,  and 
then  she  pizened  herself  with  a  sarpent,  not  a  moc 
casin  nor  rattler,  but  a  little  short  blue-brown  scrub 
snake  not  a  foot  lon^." 

0 

"  You  mean  Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"'Zactly,  Cleopatra,"  said  Jordan.  "  She  wer  ther 
one.  I  never  liked  her,  not  half  so  well  as  the  one 
with  yaller  ha'r  thet  they  called  Helen.  One  wur 
bad  on  her  own  account ;  the  other,  as  I  calcerlate, 
wus  bad  jest  because  she  hed  er  disposition  to  be 
entertainin'  and  agreeable.  One  wur  naterally  bad  ; 
t'other  wur  a  lady  by  instinct  but  her  edecation  had 
been  neglected." 

Still  he  ran  on  :  "  Wur  it  not  on  this  water  thet 
old  Solomon  fitted  out  ships  for  ther  Ophir  dig 
gings  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know,"  was  the  reply.  "  It  probably 
was,  if,  as  is  believed,  a  canal  connected  this  sea  with 
the  Red  Sea  in  his  day." 

"  Which  way  are  Jerusalem  from  here,  Sedgwick  ?  " 
he  asked. 

Sedgwick  pointed  in  the  direction. 

4<  And  Tyre  and  Venice  and  Egypt  and  ther 
Hellespont  ?"  Jordan  asked. 

Sedgwick  explained. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 67 

"  The  country  'round  this  sea  made  ther  world 
once,  didn't  it  ? "  was  Jordan's  next  exclamation. 

"  Very  nearly,"  answered  Sedgwick.  "The  cradle 
of  civilization  was  rocked  more  on  these  shores  than 
anywhere  else.  Egypt  and  Greece  and  Carthage 
and  Phoenicia  and  Syria  and  Rome,  and  a  score  of 
other  nations,  grew  into  form  on  the  shores  of  this 
sea.  The  arts  had  birth  here  ;  arts,  architecture, 
ship-building,  sculpture,  poetry,  eloquence,  law  and 
learning,  all  began  on  these  shores ;  and  Roman 
soldiers  crucified  the  Savior  a  little  beyond  where 
the  waves  of  this  sea  break  against  its  eastern  shore." 

"  Thet's  good,"  said  Jordan.     "  Big  region  this!" 

And  so  the  great-hearted  man  kept  talking  to  try 
to  lure  Sedgwick's  mind  away  from  the  thoughts  that 
possessed  him,  and  which  made  his  heart  heavy  and 
his  face  grave. 

The  ship  touched  at  several  ports,  and  the  chang 
ing  of  passengers,  the  different  races,  the  varying 
scenes,  kept  the  minds  of  both  men  diverted  and 
their  interest  all  the  time  awakened,  and  kept  Jordan 
talking  more  than  he  had  talked  before  for  weeks. 

"I'm  glad  I  cum,  Jim,"  he  kept  saying.  "  Why, 
we  fellers  out  in  Texas  as  never  traveled  don't  know 
nuthin',  so  ter  speak  ;  nuthin'  'bout  the  world  outside, 
I  mean.  We  useter  think  Texas  wur  almighty  big. 
Tain't  nuthin." 

Then  after  a  pause  he  spoke  again,  and  his  next 
question  was  :  "  What  did  yo'  call  them  ships  thet 
ther  old  fellers  sailed  ? " 

"  They  had   many    names.     There   were  Galleys, 


1 68  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Biremes,  Triremes.  Quadquirimes,  Ouinquirimes  and 
and  so  on,  according  to  the  number  of  their  oars  and 
the  way  they  worked  them,"  answered  Sedgwick. 

"  This  are  a  daisy  ship  thet  we  is  on,  don't  you 
reckon  ?"  said  Jordan.  "  Suppose  yo'  and  I  cud  uv 
cum  along  heah  with  this  ship  when  they  lied  ther 
fightin'  fleets  out  ?  Wouldn't  we  hev  astonished 
them  old-timers  ?  " 

"  I  think  we  would,  indeed,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  but, 
Tom,  with  the  ships  that  they  had,  they  did  some 
fighting  that  gave  the  world  such  a  thrill  that  men 
feel  it  still  when  the  name  of  Actium  or  Salamis  is 
mentioned.  As  long  before  the  coming  of  the  Savior 
as  it  has  been  since,  the  Phoenicians  were  scouring 
this  sea  with  their  craft,  founding  colonies,  and  it  is 
said  they  ventured  out  upon  the  Atlantic  and  went 
as  far  north  as  England,  while  amid  the  ruins  of 
Tyre  models  of  boats  have  been  found  with  lines  as 
fine  as  any  that  any  modern  ship-builder  can  draw. 

"  Nothing  of  mechanical  achievement  to  me  com 
pares  with  a  ship  like  this  that  we  are  sailing  on. 
Panoplied  in  steel,  with  heart  of  fire,  with  iron  arms 
picking  up  the  burden  of  ten  thousand  horses  ;  fac 
ing  the  storm  and  the  night  without  a  quiver  except 
that  which  comes  of  its  own  crreat  heart's  throbbing, 

o  o ' 

buoyant  above  the  beating  of  the   deep  sea's  solemn 
pulses,  lighted  by  imitation  sunlight,  and   making  its 
voyages  almost  .with   the  precision    of   the   hours— 
what  could  be  grander  ? 

"  Standing  on  the  deck,  with  the  midnight  black 
above  and  the  ocean  black  below,  feeling  its  regular 


169  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

pulse-beats  and  its  onward  plunges  over  its  uneven 
path  ;  it  is  hard  to  shake  off  the  impression  that  it  is 
a  grim  Genie  that  has  come  to  make  ferries  of 
the  broad  ocean,  to  draw  the  continents  with  their 
freights  of  nations  closer  together. 

"  But  suppose,  Tom,  that  the  onward  rush  of  this 
ship  should  bring  us  close  beside  three  little  ships, 
two  with  no  decks  and  the  larger  one  only  ninety 
feet  in  length,  we  would  look  down  upon  them  with 
a  kind  of  pity,  would  we  not  ? 

"  Still,  with  such  vessels,  the  mystery  of  the  sea 
was  first  cleared  up  ;  with  such  vessels,  the  vail  was 
pushed  back  from  the  frowning  face  of  the  ocean  ; 
with  such  vessels,  the  New  World  was  found. 

"  It  was  from  over  one  of  those  open  decks  that 
the  cry  'A  Light ! '  rang  out  upon  the  night  ;  it  was 
from  one  of  those  decks  that  the  vision  of  the  New 
World  materialized  before  the  eyes  of  the  great 
Italian  ;  on  one  of  those  decks  he  knelt  as  the  vision 
grew  brighter  in  the  dawn,  and  his  soul  was  thrilled 
as  souls  are  when  they  feel  that  a  visible  answer  to 
prayer  has  been  vouchsafed. 

"  But  the  man  was  there,  Jordan  ;  the  man  who 
could  charm  the  terrors  from  the  hearts  of  a  fear- 
stricken  crew  ;  who  could  convert  a  meteor's  fall  into 
an  augury  of  good  instead  of  an  omen  of  terror  ;  who 
could  quell  the  mutinous  spirit  which  was  awakened 
by  a  varying  needle  and  raging  storms, 

"  It  is  not  the  great  ship  that  counts,  but  the  motives 
in  the  souls  of  those  who  build  and  navigate  the  ship. 


I7O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  When  on  the  shores  of  this  sea  men  first  built 
boats  and  went  forth  on  these  waters,  they  were  but 
rude  boats  indeed. 

"  Who  knows  how  many  were  lost,  how  many 
brave  souls  were  drowned  ? 

"  But  each  calamity  gave  new  thoughts  to  those  who 
escaped  ;  they  kept  on  improving,  building  better  and 
better  boats  and  making  longer  and  longer  voyages  ; 
they  found  islands  and  the  shores  of  far-off  mainlands  ; 
they  carried  back  the  products  of  those  lands,  and  so 
Commerce  was  born. 

"  They  made  at  last  their  ships  meet  the  caravans 
from  the  East  ;  the  ideas  as  well  as  the  products  of 
the  East  and  West  were  brought  together  ;  manu 
factories  were  established,  robes  and  dyed  garments 
and  flashing  blades  were  made  that  became  immortal, 
and  those  people  made  such  an  impression  on  the 
world,  as  brave  and  capable  and  alert  men  of  affairs, 
that  the  impression  still  remains  ;  even  as  the  strong 
and  true  men  of  Venice  renewed  the  impression 
twenty-five  hundred  years  later. 

"The  same  spirit  worked  three  thousand  years  ago 
that  has  been  at  work  in  making  the  transformation 
from  the  bungling  ships  that  Nelson  fought  Trafalgar 
with  to  this  ship  under  our  feet,  from  the  carrying 
up  of  ore  from  the  deep  mines  on  the  heads  of  peons 
to  the  hoisting  engine  and  safety  cage  of  to-day." 

"That  is  good,  Jim,"  said  Jordan,  "  it  is  ther  soul 
of  man,  after  all,  soul  of  courage  that  counts  'nd  all 
ther  advancement  is  only  because  we  has  better  tools 
ter  work  with  than  ther  old-timers  hed." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SOUL   IN  THE  CLAY. 

At  Port  Said  the  travelers  left  the  French  steamer 
to  wait  for  the  English  ship  which  was  on  the  way 
from  Southampton.  It  came  in  on  the  evening  of 
their  arrival,  and  they  went  on  board.  They  were 
glad  to  do  so,  for  the  few  hours  in  Port  Said  con 
vinced  them  that  it  was  a  tougher  place  than  they  had 
ever  seen  on  the  frontier. 

At  daylight  next  morning  the  ship  proceeded  on 
her  way  through  the  canal. 

Our  travelers  were  on  the  deck,  watching  the 
scenery. 

Finally  Jordan  said  :  "This  looks  like  Arizony, 
only  more  so.  Arizony  looks  as  though  thar  war  a 
strike  amon^  the  mechanics  and  it  war  never  finished. 

<^ 

This  looks  like  it  were  finished  once  and  then  ther 
perprieter,  not  bein'  satisfied  with  ther  contractor's 
job,  smashed  it.  They  tell  me  ther  mustang  is  ther 
blood-horse  run  down  by  starvation  'nd  abuse,  'nd 
in-breedin',  but  mostly  from  in-breedin'.  This 
country  looks  ez  though  it  hed  been  ruined  ther  same 
way  precisely.  I  shouldn't  wonder  but  it  wur  true. 
Them  old  Faros  wuz  big  feliers  ;  so  war  Sesostrisand 
ther  hull  race  of  the  old  chaps  from  ther  Shepherd 
Kings  down,  and  they  useter  call  this  '  the  granary 
of  the  world,'  didn't  they? 


172  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  And  old  Cambysis  cum  here  on  a  robbin'  expe 
dition? 

"  Well,  it's  clear  enough  since  then  things  has  been 
goin'  ter  ther  dogs  heah.  I  tell  yo',  Jim,  civilization 
gone  to  seed  is  wuss  than  'riginal  barbarism. 

"  Them  chaps  as  bilt  the  pyramids  and  obelisks  war 
powerful  men.  They  must  er  hed  sum  pride  in  the 
kentry  or  they  wouldn't  been  so  everlastin'  perticelar 
'bout  their  gravestunes,  and  this  must  uv  been  a  dif 
ferent  kentry  from  what  it  are  now^  Yo've  seen  men 
as  has  lived  too  long.  It's  so,  I  reckon,  with  patches 
of  this  old  world.  Anyway,  I  ain't  buyin'  no  sheers 
in  Egypt,  leastways  not  on  the  showin'  these  crop- 
pin's  make." 

When  the  ship  passed  into  the  Gulf  of  Suez  the 
temperature  was  something  fearful. 

"This  wur  the  water  that  divided,  wuritnot?" 
asked  Jordan. 

"Yes,"  said  Sedgvvick,  "this  is  the  water,  I  believe." 

Jordan  was  silent  for  several  minutes.  At  last  he 
said  :  "  No  mistake  'bout  thet  story,  Jim?" 

"Why  do  you  ask?  "  was  Sedgwick's  response. 

"  Nothin'  much,"  said  Jordan,  "only  hain't  yo' 
noticed  ther  newspapers  don't  hardly  ever  git  things 
right?" 

Sedgwick  acknowledged  that  he  had  known  them 
to  make  mistakes. 

"  Hain't  it  jest  posserble,"  said  Jordan,  "thet  what 
war  really  the  fact  war  thet  the  Gipshins  war  drowned 
jest  ter  git  'em  outer  ther  misery  in  this  cussed  place, 
and  ther  Jews  war  saved  jest  ter  punish  'em?  " 


THK    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  173 

"  I  never  thought  of  that,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  But 
if  the  weather  then  was  anything  like  it  is  now,  the 
theory  is  not  improbable." 

'"Zactly,"  said  Jordan.  "From  ther  other  side 
over  there  ther  Israelites  started  for  Canaan,  didn't 
they?" 

"  I  believe  so,"  was  Sedgwick's  reply. 

•'  It  must  uv  been  like  goin'  from  Tuscon  to  Fort 
Yuma  in  August,  don't  yo'  think,  Jim  ?"  said  Jordan. 

"  Very  like,  I  believe,"  said  Sedgwick. 

After  a  pause  Jordan  spoke  up  again  :  "  Jim,  it 
ain't  for  me  ter  try  ter  understand  much,  but  ther 
kentry  'round  heah  and  ther  people  we  has  seen 
kinder  breaks  me  up.  They  tell  us  over  ther  to  ther 
right,  man  fust  cum  outer  his  wild  state  ;  ez  yo'  has 
it,  that  'ther  cradle  of  civilization  war  fust  rocked.' 
For  five  thousand  year,  they  has  been  a-tryin'. 
Look  at  'em  now  !  Then  over  on  the  other  side,  the 
chosen  people  of  God  pulled  out ;  they  flourished  ; 
they  killed  their  enemies,  built  cities  and  temples  ; 
hed  big  talkers  and  writers  and  fiters  ;  fixed  up  lan 
guage  thet  thrills  a  man's  soul  jest  ter  read  it  now  ; 
made  a  starter  thet  the  world's  been  a-follerin'  ever 
since,  and  right  and  left  ther  whole  world  are  blasted, 
and  no  one  wud  ever  think  thet  God's  smile  once  lit 
this  region.  If  this  showin'  makes  ther  balance  sheet 
fur  five  thousand  years,  what's  ther  use  in  tryin'  ?" 

"  True,"    said     Sedgwick.       "  In    everything,    the 

o  *  o ' 

ancient  man  was  the  equal,  if  not  the  superior,  of 
any  men  who  live  to-day.  As  soldiers,  orators,  and 
writers,  the  utmost  men  hope  for  is  to  emulate  them, 


174  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

never  to  excel  them.  A  famous  English  orator  not 
long"  ago  said  that  he  had  often  been  called  upon  to 
address  boisterous  men  who  had  gathered  in  mobs 
for  mischief,  and  that  the  only  time  he  had  ever  suc 
ceeded  in  quelling  such  a  gathering  and  turning 
them  completely  over  to  the  side  of  order  and  peace, 
was  when  he  had  repeated  to  them  his  own  transla 
tion  of  one  of  the  impassioned  orations  that  Demos 
thenes  had  flung  with  all  the  majesty  and  power  of  his 
eloquence  at  an  Athenian  mob  twenty-two  hundred 
years  ago.  No  modern  sculpture  equals  the  ancient ; 
no  modern  song  or  eloquence  ;  and  then  there  have 
come  down  to  us  lessons  in  patriotism,  devotion  to 
duty,  self-abnegation  and  valor,  which  will  thrill  great 
hearts  as  loner  as  civilization  shall  last. 

o 

"  Only  in  one  thing  that  I  can  note  does  the  modern 
man  excel  his  ancient  brother.  The  world  is  more 
merciful  than  of  old.  Prisoners  of  war  are  no  longer 

o 

sold  into  slavery  or  killed  ;  woman  has  ceased  to  be 
first  a  plaything  and  then  a  slave  ;  in  exalting  woman, 
man  has  been  exalted,  and  the  perfect  modern  home 
had  no  parallel  in  the  ancient  world.  The  influence 
that  the  Cross  gave  out  is  still  spreading  and  softening 
the  hearts  of  men." 

"  May  be,"  said  Jordan,  "  but,  Jim,  it's  a  mighty  big 
undertaken'  to  civilize  men.  Here's  all  Africa  over 
here  ter  the  right  whar  only  the  old  rule  prevails;  man 
is  a  monstrous  brute  ;  woman  is  wuss  nor  a  slave." 

"  That  is  true,  Tom, "said  Sedgwick.  "  The  cruel 
ties  practiced  there  are  almost  enough  to  make  one 
doubt  the  divinity  of  man  and  the  mercy  of  God." 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  I  75 

"  Yet  who  knows  ?  "  said  Jordan.  "  What  are  a 
few  thousand  years  ter  God  ?  Thar  must  be  some- 
thin'  behind,  or  men  wouldn't  hev  been  born.  Ther 
other  day  in  London  thar  war  a  man  carryin'  a  flag 
on  a  short  staff  thet  hed  a  glitterin'  p'int.  He  war 
preachin'  on  ther  street  corners  thet  men  hed  no 
souls  ;  thet  ther  man  ez  sed  he  hed  a  soul  war  a  fool, 
'nd  he  asked  whar  ther  souls  war,  'nd  ef  any  surgeon 
hed  ever  cum  upon  a  soul  when  dissectin'  a  body,  or 
on  ther  place  whar  ther  soul  hed  lodged  in  ther  man's 
lifetime. 

'  I  wur  listenin'  'nd  thinkin'.  After  awhile  he 
finished  'nd  then  a  gentle,  kind-faced  man  stepped 
outer  ther  crowd  'nd  sed  he  :  '  What  are  thet  bright 
metal  on  ther  end  of  y'r  flag-staff  ? '  Ther  man  sed  it  war 
aluminum.  Then  the  kind-faced  man  asked  what 
aluminum  cum  from.  Ther  other  answered:  'Clay.' 
'  Jest  common  clay  ?  '  asked  ther  man.  '  Jest  common 
clay,'  said  ther  other.  '  How  long  since  ther  beautiful 
metal  war  discovered  ? '  asked  ther  kind-faced  man. 
1  It  war  within  ther  last  half  century,' war  the  answer. 
Then  the  kind  faced  man  made  a  discourse  sunthin' 
like  this  : 

"  '  Yo'  want  a  wisible  proof  thet  man  hez  a  soul.  Ef 
yo'  hed  lived  sixty  year  ago  'nd  men  hed  told  yo'  ther 
wur  in  common  clay  a  metal  ez  bright  ez  silver,  ez 
ductile  ez  gold,  with  almost  ther  tensile  strength  uv 
steel  ;  sunthin'  thet  could  be  worked  inter  eny  form, 
indestructible  under  ther  usual  destructive  agents  of 
ther  world,  yo'  wouldn't  ha'  believed  it,  would  yo'  ? 
Yet  it  war  thar  all  ther  time.  Fur  thousands  of 


176  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

years,  men  delved  in  clay.  Ther  wheels  of  ages 
ground  it  inter  powder,  which  ther  winds  blew  away  ; 
when  men  died,  other  men  sed,  '  They  is  turned  ter 
clay/  which  signefied  ther  utter  degrerdation  o'  death  ; 
but  ther  men  what  bilt  ther  Bable  Tower,  lied  they 
but  known  ther  secret, mighter  from  thet  same  material 
have  bilt  a  dome  higher  nor  St.  Paul's,  thet  would  uv 

o 

shone  like  burnished  silver  'nd  would  hev  retained  all 
its  strength  'nd  splendor,  notwithstandin'  ther  erosion 
uv  time  'nd  ther  abrashin'  uv  ther  acres,  even  till  now, 

^         * 

tho'  since  then  two  hundred  generations  uv  men  has 
lived  and  died. 

"  Still,  yo'  think  thet  ther  power  thet  put  thet 
imperishable,  indestructible,  stainless  soul  in  ther 
clay  at  our  feet,  war  less  thoughtful,  less  wise,  less 
merciful  when  he  created  man  in  His  own  sublime 
image  ?  Ther  chemist  found  this  property  in  clay 
after  er  thousand  nations  hed  spurned  it  under  ther 
feet ;  this  soul  in  clay,  which  will  not  tarnish,  which 
can  be  drawn  out  inter  finest  wires  and  thinnest  leaves; 
hev  yo'  ther  audacity  ter  proclaim  thet  ther  subtle 
chemistry  of  death  cannot  reveal  anything  bright  and 
indestructible  fur  man,  when  these  pore  mortal  senses 
shall  have  spent  ther  energies  ;  when  this  pore  body 
shall  uv  fallen  back  ter  dust  'nd  ther  clearer  light 
shell  'ave  dawned." 

"  It  war  a  great  sermon.  The  unbeliever  shambled 
shamefaced  away,  'nd  I've  been  er  thinkin'  uv  it  ever 
since." 

"  It  must  be  true,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  Somewhere 
must  be  kept  the  records  of  the  hearts  that  break  in 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  1 77 

silence,  of  the  eyes  that  grow  dim  in  straining  at 
signals  on  heights  beyond  the  vision  of  mortal  man,  of 
hands  that  lose  their  hold  on  immortality,  because  of 
the  merciless  bufferings  of  the  world. 

"  This  looks  like  a  wrecked  world  around  us,  but 
there  was  a  splendor  here  once.  Here  the  alphabet 
of  the  stars  was  first  traced  out,  and  the  order  of 
their  shining  processions  made  known  ;  here  barbar 
ism  was  first  beaten  back ;  the  first  code  was  made 
here  ;  here  were  originated  the  sciences  of  architect 
ure  and  of  war  ;  here  the  arts  of  agriculture  and 
mechanics  were  born  ;  and  here  was  lighted  and  kept 
bright  the  flame  of  knowledge  until  it  became  a 
beacon  to  the  world,  that,  before  that  light  was 
kindled,  was  altogether  dark. 

"  The  tides  of  the  sea  advance  and  recede.  It  may 
be  so  with  nations.  The  earth  was  made  habitable 
by  convulsions  that  rent  its  crust,  the  storms  that 
beat  upon  it,  and  by  the  grinding  of  glaciers ;  the 
pressure  necessary  to  create  the  rocks  and  coal 
measures  was  brought  to  bear  ;  the  continents  were 
upheaved  ;  the  seas  were  beaten  back  ;  the  world  was 
loaded  for  a  limitless  voyage,  before  the  vapors  were 
rolled  back,  the  full  dawn  was  born. 

"  We  cannot  see  far,  but  if  this  life  is  all  there  is  to 
us,  then,  indeed,  it  is  a  pitiful  failure.  If  our  thoughts 
and  longings  are  bounded  by  this  little  span  of  life, 
then  there  is  no  balance-sheet  for  mortality.  The  gift 
of  life  is  then  not  worth  the  expense  of  supporting  it. 

"  But,  if,  like  the  earth,  the  beatings  and  upheavals 
and  sorrows  are  but  the  preparation  for  the  perfect 


i;  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

dawn,  with  peace  in  its  coming,  with  the  increase  of 
immortal  flowers  in  its  air  ;  if  there  are  to  be  a  time 
and  place  where  there  is  to  be  full  fruition,  then 
it  is  different,  and  we  can  afford  to  smile  as  the  frosts 
of  disappointment  chill  us,  a^  the  salt  spray  of  mis 
fortune  is  dashed  in  our  faces. 

"  Tom,  with  such  gifts  as  are  given  us,  we  must  do 
the  best  we  can  for  ourselves  and  our  fellow-men  ; 
must  do  it  with  faith  and  courage,  do  it  with  gentle 
ness  and  in  truth,  and  with  a  purpose  so  high  that 
we  shall  never  fear  anything  except  to  do  the  wrong. 

"  And  all  the  rest  we  may  leave  to  God." 

It  was  hot  and  calm  all  the  voyage  through  the  Red 
Sea,  the  straits,  and  Gulf  of  Aden,  till,  when  round 
ing  the  stormy  cape  of  Guardafui  and  the  ship  swept 
out  upon  the  broader  ocean,  the  barometer  dropped 
rapidly  and  a  furious  storm  came  on.  It  was  really 
a  mighty  gale,  and  the  heavily-laden  ship  labored  ex 
ceedingly. 

At  its  height,  Sedgwick  and  Jordan  stood  watching 
the  majesty  of  the  forces  exhausting  their  fury  around 
them,  when  Jordan  said  : 

"  Jim,  I  needed  this.  Yo'  know  how  grand  ther 
other  ship  wur;  yo'  know  how  great  and  strong  this 
ship  are.  Well,  watchin'  both,  a  senseless  kind  uv 
pride  cum  over  me,  and  I  sed  ter  myself  over  and  over, 
'  This  ere  ship  cud  outride  any  gale  whatever  blow'd.' 
Look  now  !  It's  only  a  toy  on  ther  water  when  God's 
wind  ^oes  out  ter  battle  with  God's  everlastin'  seas. 

o 

"  Cumin'  over,  I  stopped  and  tuk  a  look  at  Niagry. 
It  wur  grand,  but  a  dozen  Niagrys  wouldn't  make  one 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  179 

hurrycane  out  ter  sea.  I  can't  explain  what  I  wanter, 
but  I  mean  as  how  God's  majesty  is  nowhar  else  re 
vealed  as  when  his  hurrycanes  is  sent  ter  paint  a 
picter  on  ther  face  of  a  mad  ocean.  Nowhar  else 
did  I  ever  feel  thet  small  as  when  watchin',  as  we  is 
now,  all  these  forces  that  is  makin'  the  commotion 
'round  us.  They  all  show  us  what  pitiful  weak  crea- 
ters  we  is,  and  ther  man  who  ever  watched  one  storm 
at  sea  and  ever  arter  dares  to  hev  one  feelin'  uv  pride 
or  scornfulness,  that  thar  man  are  weak  somewhar 
and  makes  a  spectacle  of  hisself." 

But  the  storm  was  weathered  safely  ;  the  tempera 
ture  grew  cooler  as  the  ship  stretched  away  to  the 
South,  and  after  a  generally  prosperous  voyage  the 
steamer  dropped  anchor  in  Port  Natal  roadstead. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  WEDGE  OF  GOLD. 

The  voyagers  were  glad  enough  to  stand  once  more 
on  the  solid  earth.  It  had  been  twenty-one  days 
since  they  had  left  London. 

Quickly  as  they  could  they  made  arrangements  for 
a  journey  inland.  They  chartered  conveyances  to  go 
to  the  end  of  the  road  and  sent  forward  to  the  capital 
to  charter  a  train  of  riding  and  pack  animals,  with  a 
full  corps  of  attendants,  to  meet  them  where  they  had 
to  take  the  trail.  They  employed,  moreover,  a  civil 
engineer  and  a  half-dozen  frontiersmen,  Boers  and 
Kaffirs,  who  knew  the  country  well. 

Studying  their  maps  and  the  description  supplied 
them  by  the  former  owner  of  the  mine,  they  calculated 
the  mine  was  distant  some  250  miles,  and  that  it 
would  require  some  thirty-five  days  to  make  the 
examination  and  return  to  D'Umber,  the  town  on 
Port  Natal  Roadstead. 

Sedgwick  had  written  daily  to  his  bride,  sending 
the  letters  from  every  port  called  at. 

Now  he  wrote  her  that  it  would  probably  be  forty 
days  before  he  could  forward  her  another  letter. 

When  everything  was  ready  they  started  on  their 
trip.  The  men  were  all  Boers  and  Kaffirs,  except  the 
engineer  ;  all  strong,  good-natured  men,  but  the  least 
bit  suspicious  of  their  employers.  They  had  come  in 
an  English  ship,  wore  English  clothing,  and  if  their 


i  So 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  l8l 

English  accent  was  not  quite  up  to  the  standard  the 
natives  could  not  make  the  distinction. 

They  examined  Jordan's  saddle  with  a  great  deal 
of  curiosity,  as  it. was,  with  the  rest  of  the  luggage, 
put  upon  the  wagon.  One  of  them,  in  broken  Eng 
lish,  asked  about  it ;  where  in  England  he  found  it. 

He  laughingly  answered  that  they  could  not  make 
any  such  saddle  in  England  ;  that  it  was  a  Mexican 
saddle.  Then  the  Boer  wanted  to  know  if  he  were  a 
Mexican. 

"  Not  by  a  blamed  sight,"  said  Jordan.  "Do  I 
look  like  er  greaser?  " 

The  Boer  looked  at  him  helplessly. 

"Did  you  never  har  of  ther  United  States  ?"  asked 
Jordan. 

The  Boer  shook  his  head.  ''Never  har  of  America 
and  Americans  ?"  Jordan  asked. 

The  Boer  smiled.  He  had  heard  of  Americans, 
and  asked  eagerly  if  Jordan  and  his  friend  came  from 
America. 

"  Yo'  may  bet  yo'r  everlastin'  broken  Dutch  dia- 
phram  that  we  did,"  said  Jordan,  at  which  the  Boer 
hurried  to  tell  his  companions  that  the  two  strangers 
were  not  English,  notwithstanding  their  clothing. 

The  first  eight  days  of  the  journey,  the  travelers 
found  excellent  roads,  and  averaged  twenty-seven 
miles  a  day.  They  did  not  go  by  the  capital,  but 
turned  off  to  the  left. 

The  first  day  the  road  lay  mostly  over  the  coast 
mountains.  Toward  night  they  entered  upon  the 
table-lands  of  Natal,  which  were  generally  level,  except 


1 82  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

where,  here  and  there,  a  low  mountain  spur  nad  to  be 
crossed.  It  was  a  grassy  country,  sparsely  dotted 
with  palms,  with  here  and  there  timber  in  sight  up 
ravines  that  ran  down  from  the  hills,  and  occasionally 
they  ran  upon  clusters  of  heath-flowers.  Indeed,  the 
whole  country  was  covered  with  flowers  of  rare 
beauty,  but  mostly  odorless.  It  was  all  new  and 
strange,  and  was  noted  with  keen  interest  by  the  two 
Americans.  It  was  the  rainy  season,  and  the  road 
was  soft  in  places,  and  some  of  the  streams  were 
pretty  high.  But  they  got  along  without  serious 
trouble.  One  had  been  in  Nevada,  the  other  in  Ari 
zona,  and  both  in  Texas. 

The  first  night  they  camped  by  a  little  stream,  ate 
their  supper,  and  spread  their  beds  by  some  willows 
on  the  grass.  It  was  a  perfectly  calm  night,  and  in 
that  clear  air  the  stars  shone  magnificently. 

As  they  were  smoking  their  pipes  after  supper 
Sedgwick  pointed  out  to  Jordan  the  constellation  of 
the  Southern  Cross  as  a  sight  which  their  friends  in 
the  North-land  could  never  see  unless  they  crossed 
the  equator. 

Jordan  looked  at  the  stars  some  time  in  silence, 
and  then  said  :  "  Them  stars  is  been  shinin'  thar 
allus,  and  yit,  Jim,  they  wuz  outer  sight  o'  us.  To 
see  'em  we  had  ter  cross  ther  line.  Who  can  tell, 
Jim,  what  new  stars'll  shine  on  us  when  thet  other 
line,  thet  men  call  death,  shall  be  crossed,  and  our 
eyes  shall  be  given  ther  new  light  beyond  ?  " 

He  paused  a  moment,  and  then  went  on  :  "  I'z 
been  prospered.  When  I  war  a  boy  I  went  to  ther 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  183 

wah.  I  war  in  many  a  fight.  Men  as  loved  life 
mightily  wuz  killed  all  'round  me  ;  many  another 
brave  feller  tuk  sick  and  died.  Not  a  scratch  cum 
ter  me. 

"  I  made  er  stake  easy-like  in  ther  mines.  I've 
dun  well  'nuff  ;  andyit,  Jim,  if  thar  should  cum  ther 
summons  ternight,  and  I  knowd  I'd  got  ter  go,  I 
wouldn't  hev  a  sorrer  'cept  thet  we  haven't  passed  on 
ther  mine  yit." 

Then  Sedgwick  realized  that  in  the  selfishness  of 
his  own  loneliness  at  leaving  his  bride,  he  had 
forgotten  his  friend,  and  that  he  had  all  the  time  been 
concealing  a  deeper  grief  and  trying  to  cheer  him. 

"  Dear  old  Tom,"  he  said  humbly.  "  I  have  been 
absorbed  and  selfish  since  we  left  England.  I  did  not 
realize  my  own  selfishness.  We  have  found  new 
stars  in  the  sky.  Let  us  trust  that  no  sorrows  will 
come  to  us  that  will  not  be  cheered  by  stars  behind 
them,  and  let  us  nurse  the  hope  that  this  journey  is 
but  a  discord  in  our  lives  that  will  make  the  music  of 
them  sweeter  when  it  shall  be  passed." 

"  Shore  enuff,"  was  Jordan's  answer.  "  I  war  once 
down  at  the  bottom  of  ther  Colorado  Canon.  It  war 
terrible.  I  never  seen  a  place  so  desolate  and  wild  ; 
but,  Jim,  I  looked  up  along  the  walls  hundreds  of 
feet  overhead,  and  thar  in  ther  daylight,  away  off  in 
ther  infinite  sky,  some  stars  war  shinin'." 

So  there,  in  the  starlight,  on  that  lonely  table-land 
in  South  Africa,  the  two  true  men  clasped  hands  in 
silence,  and  their  hearts  drew  nearer  to  each  other 
than  they  had  ever  been  drawn  before. 


184  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  second  day,  the  road  in  places  skirted  a  forest 
in  which  the  yellow  tree  and  the  great  beech  were  the 
most  prominent  trees  *  creepers  grew  around  them, 
and  vines  trailed  over  their  branches  ;  marvelously 
tinted  flowers  mingled  with  them,  and  the  scene  was 
enchanting. 

More  than  once  a  band  of  antelope  was  seen 
scudding  away  in  the  distance;  here  and  there  a  zebra 
fled  from  before  them,  and  once  a  pair  of  giraffes 
were  discerned  afar  off  over  the  plain,  Though  it 
was  the  beginning  of  winter,  the  tsetse  fly  bothered 
their  stock  a  good  deal,  but  the  Boers  cut  branches 
from  the  trees  and  covered  the  animals  with  them 
when  the  sun  was  hottest  and  the  insects  most 
troublesome. 

After  the  fourth  day  the  road  began  to  ascend, 
and  at  last  the  point  was  reached  where  the  vehicles 
had  to  be  given  up,  and  the  saddle  and  pack  animals 
from  the  capital  had  to  be  brought  into  use.  The 
real  hills  had  been  reached.  The  trail  ran  over  a 
succession  of  sharp  mountain  ridges,  and  narrow 
valleys.  It  was  not  a  well-made  trail  on  the  ridges, 
and  the  flanks  of  the  ridges  were  so  abrupt  and  rocky 
that  progress  was  very  slow  ;  moreover,  it  was  clear 
that  to  build  a  road  on  the  line  of  the  trail,  over 
which  heavy  loads  could  be  hauled,  would  be  a  most 
expensive,  almost  impossible,  undertaking. 

It  required  three  days  to  make  the  trip  of  forty 
miles. 

Finally,  though,  the  last  summit  was  crossed,  and 
after  a  heavy  descent,  there  spread  out  another  valley, 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  185 

and  on  a  ridge  beyond,  from  the  mountain  side,  could 
be  seen  something  like  a  dump,  with  rock  piled 
upon  it.  The  two  friends  recognized  the  spot  at  the 
same  moment  and  stopped  their  animals  in  the  trail, 
to  take  in  the  surroundings.  They  estimated  that  the 
mountains  must  be  a  spur  of  the  Drakenberg  Range, 
that  they  were  within  the  basin  drained  by  the  head 
waters  of  the  Vaal  River,  and  that  they  were  in  the 
Southwestern  Transvaal.  The  mountains  of  that 
point  had  a  general  course  northeast  and  southwest, 
and  it  was  clear  that  the  mine  was  practically  over 
the  range  in  approaching  from  the  direction  of  Port 
Natal. 

"  It's  all  right,"  said  Jordan,  "  'cept  it  seems  to  me 
like  we  orter  uv  cum  down  on  ther  other  side  of 
Africa,  and  cum  in  from  ther  West.  From  this  way 
it  would  need  a  pack  train  of  bald  eagles  ter  bring  in 
supplies,  while  ter  get  a  mill  in — Good  Lord  !  " 

"  I  fear  you  are  right,  as  usual,  Tom,"  said  Sedg- 
wick,  "but  if,  as  I  suspect,  the  mine  is  of  no  account, 
it  will  not  matter  much." 

"  l  Zactly,"  said  Jordan.  "  Thar's  no  use  tryin'  ter 
put  up  collateral  on  which  ter  borrer  trouble  'fore  we 
know  anythin'  'bout  ther  mine." 

So  they  pressed  on  and  made  their  camp  that  night 
near  a  great  spring  that  the  miners  had  lived  by  while 
opening  the  mine.  Next  morning  both  Americans 
were  up  early,  and,  the  breakfast  disposed  of,  they 
went  to  the  mine  with  buckets  of  watera  nd  hammers. 

They  kept  their  natives  pounding  rock  all  day,  while 
they  washed  the  samples.  They  took  the  ore  from 


1 86  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

every  part  of  the  dump.  The  result  was  most  satis 
factory.  "It  will  assay  more  than  $30,"  said  Jordan. 
"I  believe  it  will  work  up  to  $30  by  mill  process,  for 
it's  perfectly  free  gold  ore  and  not  too  fine." 

The  next  day  the  inclines  were  all  explored,  and 
samples  taken,  step  by  step — taken  and  marked,  as 
they  proceeded.  The  ore  body  where  practically 
exposed  was  carefully  measured,  and  where  any  change 
was  discernible  it  was  noted  and  special  samples  taken. 
The  floor  of  the  lowest  level  reached  was  not  only 
sampled,  but  a  hole  a  couple  of  feet  below  the  lowest 
excavation  was  dug,  and  the  samples  were  saved. 

The  vein  was  a  contact  between  slate  and  granite, 
and  was  very  regular  in  size,  and  apparently  in  quality. 
The  vein  was  exposed  for  probably  600  feet,  and 
thence  up  the  hill  it  was  covered  with  debris.  It  was 
almost  night  when  the  camp  was  reached,  and  the 
men  were  very  tired. 

Next  morning  the  samples  taken  the  previous  day 
were  crushed  and  carefully  washed. 

When  all  was  finished,  Jordan  said  :  "  Jim,  it's  a 
honest  mine.  Ther  only  drawback  is  ther  place.  I've 
no  idee  what  er  road  would  cost,  but  it  would  take  a 
power  o'  money,  sho." 

It  was  decided  to  try  to  explore  the  slope  of  the 
range  they  were  on,  up  and  down,  to  see  if  a  break  in 
it  could  not  somewhere  be  found.  They  tried  it  to 
the  north,  and  soon  found  themselves  in  a  mighty 
gorge,  with  great  mountains  closing  them  in  from 
every  direction  except  the  one  from  which  they  had 
come.  They  returned  to  camp,  and  one  more  day 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  187 

was  gone.  The  next  morning  they  started  early  to 
the  south,  and  toiled  until  eleven  o'clock,  to  find  them 
selves  once  more  ambuscaded  by  the  precipitous  hills. 
Again  they  made  their  way  back  to  camp,  without 
comfort,  except  that  they  had  passed  through  a  great 
forest  of  beech  and  yellow  wood  sufficient  for  fuel 
and  mine  timbers  for  years. 

Next  morning  when  they  had  finished  breakfast, 
Sedgwick  asked  Jordan  what  his  idea  was  by  that  time 
as  to  the  best  course  to  proceed. 

Jordan  shook  his  head,  and  said  :  "  I'm  afeerd  we 
must  try  to  build  ther  road  or  invent  a  berloon." 

From  the  spring  there  ran  a  considerable  stream  off 
at  right  angles  from  the  mine,  and  in  exactly  the  oppo 
site  direction  from  whence  they  had  come. 

Sedgwick  said  :  "Tom,  that  stream,  unless  it  sinks, 
finds  its  way  to  the  sea  after  awhile.  We  are  in  for 
it ;  a  day  or  two  more  will  not  count.  Suppose  for 
awhile  we  follow  that  stream  and  see  where  it  leads  us." 

"  Agreed — a  good  idee,"  said  Jordan.  Taking  with 
them  two  Boers,  the  engineer,  and  a  pack  animal  with 
food  and  some  blankets,  they  bade  the  rest  keep  the 
camp,  as  they  might  be  absent  two  or  three  days. 
They  started  down  the  stream.  It  flowed  in  a  gen 
eral  course  to  the  west.  After  a  mile  or  more  from 
the  camp,  the  banks  widened  out  into  a  wooded  val 
ley,  several  hundred  yards  across,  but  when  six  or 
seven  miles  had  been  traveled  the  valley  narrowed 
down  again,  and  the  mountains  closing  in,  made 
what,  at  a  little  distance,  seemed  a  solid  wall  in  front. 
"  Headed  off  once  more,  I  fear,"  said  Sedgwick. 


1 88  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  The:  stream  keeps  up  a  full  head.  It  must  git 
through  ther  hills  somewhar,"  said  Jordan. 

"  True  enough,"  said  Sedgwick.  They  followed  it 
to  the  very  base  of  the  hill,  to  find  that  there  it  made 
a  bend  at  right  angles  to  the  south  and  flowed 
through  a  cleft  of  the  mountain  not  much  wider  than 
the  stream  itself.  Into  this  they  entered,  and  pur 
sued  their  way  for  about  600  yards,  when  the  stream 
again  turned  through  another  mighty  fissure  to  the 
west,  and  ran  a  quarter  of  a  mile  farther,  when  another 
large  valley  opened  out  which  was  some  five  miles 
across.  In  this  valley  the  stream  sank  in  the  sands 
and  was  lost.  The  travelers  skirted  the  valley,  keep 
ing  close  to  the  hills  where  the  ground  was  hard. 
Reaching  the  other  side  they  found  a  narrow  opening 
through  which  the  stream  had  once  flowed.  They  fol 
lowed  a  winding  way  for  two  or  three  miles,  the 
chasm  bearing  a  little  west  of  south,  emerging  at  last 
into  an  open  country.  A  fringe  of  willows  was  seen 
low  on  the  southern  horizon.  The  Boers  said  they 
knew  the  stream,  the  course  of  which  was  marked  by 
the  willows;  that  it  was  a  big  creek,  along  which  their 
people  had  stock  farms.  They  marked  the  obscure 
opening  through  which  they  had  traced  their  way  out 
of  the  mountains  and  started  for  the  creek  and  pos 
sible  ranches.  The  Boers  said  that  farmers'  roads 
ran  from  these  ranches  out  to  the  main  road  over  the 
range  to  the  east,  the  road  which  they  had  come  up 
on  from  Port  Natal.  They  pressed  on  another  seven 
or  eight  miles,  and  a  rude  house,  half  dug-out,  came 
in  view,  distant  a  couple  of  miles. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  189 

They  approached  it,  and  from  the  people  living 
there  the  Boers  learned  that  it  was  seventeen  miles 
out  to  the  main  road,  over  a  good  farmers'  road  all 
the  way.  They  camped  at  the  house,  or  near  the 
house,  all  night.  One  of  the  residents  brought  in  a 
fine  young  antelope,  which  they  bought  and  cooked, 
and  they  suppered  royally  on  antelope,  hard  tack  and 
coffee.  Next  morning  they  returned  to  the  mine, 
reaching  there  early  in  the  afternoon.  They  had 
been  out  from  Port  Natal  seventeen  days,  had  found 
and  sampled  the  mine,  and  explored  a  natural  pass  for 
a  road. 

How  to  proceed  was  the  next  question.  Sedg- 
wick's  idea  was  that  both  should  return  to  the  sea 
shore,  proceed  to  England,  and  order  a  mill  from 
San  Francisco,  because  they  knew  that  there  were  no 
good  patterns  for  quartz  mill  machinery  on  the  con 
tinent  ;  and  both  agreed  that  should  the  mill  be  built 
in  England  and  shipped  thence  to  South  Africa,  the 
fact  would  be  published  and  all  their  plans  would  be 
interfered,  with. 

Jordan  was  silent  ior  awhile  ;  at  last  he  said:  "Jim, 
I  ken  understand  thet  ther  thot  uv  goin'  back  ter 
London  ez  mighty  enchantin'  ter  yo'.  But  thet's  a 
game  girl,  thet  thar  young  wife  o'  yourn  ;  she  listed 
fo'  this  wah  ez  well  ez  yo,'  er  she'd  never  let  yo'  cum 
away.  Yo'  must  go  by  ther  straightest  track  fer  San 
Francisco  and  bring  ther  mill.  I'll  stay  and  hev  some 
rock  ready  for  crushin'  when  ther  mill  cums." 

"  But,  dear  old  friend,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  it  will 
take  a  year,  perhaps,  to  get  a  mill  here  from  San 


190  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Francisco.  To  leave  you  here — you  would  die  of  the 
horrors  with  no  company  but  these  Boers." 

"  How  d'  yer  know  but  I'd  make  a  pretty  good 
Boer  or  Kaffir  my  own  self  with  er  little  practice  ?  " 
asked  Jordan.  "  We'll  stay  over  termorrer  and  git 
some  work  goin'  ;  then  I'll  go  with  yer  ter  the  coast 
and  get  some  men  and  things  I  need.  I'll  cum  back  ; 
you'll  go  ter  Frisco,  and  everything  '11  be  lovely." 

"  No,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  you  go  to  San  Francisco, 
and  I  will  stay  and  work  the  mine.  It  was  I  who  pro 
posed  this  thing  ;  of  right  I  should  meet  the  heaviest 
sacrifices."  But  Jordan  was  obstinate,  declaring  that 
he  would  enjoy  himself  at  the  mine,  and  after  a  long 
discussion  his  programme  was  agreed  to.  In  the 
morning  Jordan  took  the  engineer  and  three  natives 
to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  the  mine  was  covered 
with  debris  ;  walked  along  to  where  the  mountain, 
as  it  sloped  to  the  west,  was  very  abrupt,  and  there 
set  the  Boers  to  making  an  open  surface  cut. 

They  went  to  work,  and  Jordan  and  the  engineer 
went  to  measuring  to  see  where,  down  the  hill,  a  tunnel 
would  have  to  be  started  to  tap  the  lode  500  feet  deep. 
It  was  so  sharp  a  hillside  that  the  tunnel  site  would 
be  only  1,260  feet  horizontally  from  a  point  500  feet 
below  the  open  cut.  Jordan  engaged  the  engineer  to 
remain  with  all  the  men  who  would  stay,  and  begin 
that  work  if  the  indications  on  the  hill  would  justify, 
and  also  to  build  a  rude  stone  house  at  the  spring, 
large  enough  to  accommodate  a  dozen  people. 

Then  they  climbed  the  hill  again  and  found  the 
croppings  of  the  ledge  uncovered  in  the  cut.  Being 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  IQI 

tested,  these  croppings  were  found  richer  than  the 
ore  on  the  dump  lower  down,  where  the  vein  had 
been  opened. 

Next  morning,  with  two  saddle  animals,  one  pack 
animal  and  one  Boer  to  ride  another  horse  and  lead 
the  pack  horse,  the  two  Americans  started  back  for 
Port  Natal.  They  followed  over  the  route  they  had 
traced  out  two  days  before  to  the  ranch,  then  took  a 
road  traveled  by  the  stockmen,  and  on  the  second  night 
from  the  mine  came  to  a  house  on  the  main  road  to 
Port  Natal,  which  was  six  or  seven  miles  nearer  their 
destination  than  the  point  where  they  had  left  the 
road  and  taken  the  trail  for  the  mine. 

They  hired  a  Boer  to  go  up  and  bring  back  their 
wagons.  They  came  next  morning.  The  best  rig 
was  selected,  and  the  two  friends  started  for  the  sea 
shore.  In  eight  days  they  were  back  at  Port  Natal, 
having  made  the  round  trip  in  twenty-eight  or  twenty- 
nine  days.  On  arriving  at  the  seashore  they  found  that 
no  steamer  was  in  port  bound  North,  but  there  was  a 
fine  steamer  in  the  roadstead  that  was  to  sail  next 
day  for  Melbourne,  Australia. 

Sedgwick's  plan  had  been  to  go  back  to  London, 
take  his  wife  and  go  thence,  via  New  York,  to  San 
Francisco.  But  no  ship  was  awaiting  him,  and  the 
agent  of  the  Northern  Line  did  not  know  when  a 
ship  would  sail.  It  would  have  to  come  first,  and 
might  return  soon,  or  might  lie  in  port  fifteen  or 
twenty  days.  So,  talking  the  matter  over  with  Jordan, 
both  concluded  that  the  best  thing  was  to  try  the 
voyage  via  Australia.  Again  Sedgvvick  begged 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Jordan  to  go,  yet  he  kindly,  but  firmly  refused,  say 
ing,  "  I  must  hev  my  way  this  time,  Jim." 

Accordingly,  Sedgwick  engaged  passage  to  Mel 
bourne,  then  wrote  his  wife  what  they  had  found;  that 
he  had  decided  it  was  best  to  go  by  Australia  to  San 
Francisco  ;  that,  if  prosperous,  he  hoped  to  reach  that 
port  in  forty-eight  or  fifty  days  ;  that  he  would  be 
detained  there  probably  sixty  days,  and  would  then 
return  to  Africa  via  England,  hoping  to  be  with  her 
in  one  hundred  and  twenty  days,  and  to  be  able  to 
remain  with  her  for  a  month. 

Jordan  found  six  English  miners  and  engaged  them 
to  go  with  him,  bought  as  full  an  outfit  a,s  possible, 
through  a  trader  ordered  more,  including  a  portable 
saw-mill  from  England,  made  an  arrangement  with 

c>  o 

Sedgwick  how  to  send  and  receive  news,  and  the  two 
tired  men  lay  down  to  take  their  last  night's  rest 
together  for,  as  they  calculated,  at  least  six  or  seven 
months,  perhaps  a  full  year. 

It  was  a  memorable  night  to  both,  and  the  confi 
dences  they  exchanged  and  the  sacred  trusts  they 
each  assumed,  they  never  forgot. 

In  the  morning  Jordan  started  back  for  the  moun 
tains  and  their  solitudes  ;  Sedgwick  boarded  the 
steamer,  which  later  in  the  day  started  on  its  voyage, 
and  the  sea  for  Sedgwick  was.  a  counterpart  of  the 
solitude  which  the  mountains  held  for  Jordan,  except 
that  at  Port  Natal  he  had  received  from  his  Grace  the 
greetings  which  her  soul  had  given  his  soul  through 
the  mornings  and  evenings  of  the  first  twenty  days  of 
her  married  life.  They  were  to  be  his  balm  through 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  193 

all  the  days  of  his  imprisonment  on  board  ship,  and 
he  felt  that  they  would  be  sufficient.  But  it  grieved 
him  to  think  that  poor,  brave,  sorrowing,  but  cheerful 
and  clear-brained  Jordan  had  no  such  comforters. 

"  It  is  very  lonely,  my  glorified  one,"  she  wrote  ; 
"  the  roar  of  the  great  city  seems  to  me  an  echo  of 
the  voice  of  the  ocean,  of  the  wilderness  that  surrounds 
you  ;  but  I  would  not  have  it  different,  for  I  kept 
saying  to  myself  :  '  He  is  doing  his  duty,  and  beyond 
the  horizon  that  bounds  our  eyes  now,  I  know  that 
higher  joy  awaits  us  which  comes  of  a  consciousness 
of  a  great  trust  bravely  executed.'  Be  of  good  cheer, 
my  love  ;  it  will  be  all  right  in  the  end,  for  the  heavens 
themselves  bend  to  be  the  stay  of  steadfast  souls  when 
with  a  holy  patience  they  struggle  for  the  right,  as 
God  gives  them  to  see  the  right. 

"  I  will  wait  for  you,  and  in  thinking  what  you  have 
undertaken,  and  of  the  persistence  required  to  carry 
your  work  through,  will  try  to  catch  your  own  grand 
spirit,  try  to  exalt  myself  by  imitating  your  patience 
and  faith,  and  thus  be  more  worthy  of  you  when  once 
more  it  is  given  me  to  clasp  your  dear  hands,  and  to 
gaze  into  your  true  eyes,  which  are  my  light,  " 

As  Sedgwick  read,  his  eyes  became  suffused  until  he 
could  not  see  the  page  before  him  because  of  his  tears. 

"  See,"  he  said  to  himself ;  "  a  man's  love  is  selfish  ; 
it  is  a  woman's  life  and  light,  and  yet  my  beautiful 
wife  loses  sight  of  herself,  and  all  her  words  are  but 
an  inspiration  for  me  to  go  on  and  conquer  if  I  can. 
Thank  God  for  the  treasure  that  has  been  given  me  ! 
And  may  God  comfort  her  and  comfort  brave  and 
true  Jordan  !  " 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    OCCIDENT    AND    THE   ORIENT    MEET. 

The  ship  was  twenty-four  days  in  reaching  Mel 
bourne.  It  caught  a  gale  crossing  the  stormy  Bight, 
and  for  two  days  no  progress  was  made.  It  was  all 
that  the  men  in  charge  could  ck>  to  hold  the  plunging 
craft  up  into  the  face  of  the  storm  and  meet  the  big 
seas  as  they  rolled,  furious,  up  against  her  stem.  But 
the  winds  were  laid  at  last,  the  ship  was  put  upon  her 
course  and  her  natural  speed  resumed.  On  the  after 
noon  of  the  twenty-fourth  day  the  ship  passed  between 
the  heads  of  Port  Philip,  and  two  hours  later  came 
to  anchor  before  Sandridcre,  three  miles  below  Mel- 

o 

bourne.  Going  ashore,  Sedgwick  cabled  to  his  wife 
his  arrival  on  his  way  to  San  Francisco,  "  as  first 
letters  from  Port  Natal  would  explain,"  and  added  : 
"  Hope  to  be  with  you  in  one  hundred  days.  Write, 
care  Occidental  Hotel,  ^an  Francisco."  Then  he 
took  the  night  train  for  Sidney,  and  arrived  there 
the  next  night  about  nine  o'clock. 

Going  to  a  hotel,  he  found  that  the  first  steamer 
for  San  Francisco  would  sail  on  the  next  day  but  one. 

He  then  sought  his  first  sleep  in  a  comfortable 
house,  with  modern  improvements,  that  he  had  found 
since  he  left  London. 

Next  morning  he  went  early  and  secured  transpor 
tation  on  the  steamer,  then  returned  and  wrote  along 
letter  to  his  girl-bride  ;  then  engaging  a  rig  took  in 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  IQ5 

as  much  of  Sidney  as  he  could.  Next  morning  he 
cabled  his  wife  that  he  was  just  going  to  sea  again, 
and  boarded  the  steamer  early.  The  ship  sailed 
promptly  at  mid-day,  and  as  it  passed  out  of  the 
beautiful  harbor  the  islands  and  shores  beyond  were 
just  putting  on  the  vestments  of  spring.  Sedgwick 
had  never  before  seen  spring  approaching  in  October; 
never  before  had  he  heard  the  love-calls  of  mating  birds 
at  that  season,  and  apparently  had  never  before  real 
ized  so  keenly  that  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  world 
from  those  whom  he  loved  and  knew.  After  dinner 
he  went  on  deck.  He  knew  no  one  on  board,  and 
he  was  nearer  being  homesick  than  he  had  ever  been 
before.  It  was  a  balmy  night.  The  sea  was  tumbling 
a  little  from  the  effects  of  a  far-off  storm,  but  the  ship 
was  riding  the  waves  superbly  and  making  rapid  prog 
ress,  and  the  stars  were  all  out  and  sweeping  grandly 
on  in  their  never-ending,  stately  processions. 

In  the  midst  of  his  thoughts,  when  he  was  fast 
giving  way  to  a  mighty  fit  of  the  blues,  he  happened 
to  glance  upward.  Corona  A  us  traits  was  blazing 
with  unwonted  brilliancy,  and,  it  seemed  to  him,  the 
constellation  was  making  signs  to  him  from  its  signal 
station  in  the  heavens.  Instantly  he  thought  of  the 
night  that  he  and  Jordan  had  particularly  noticed 
it,  and  of  what  the  great-hearted  man  had  said.  Then 
he  thought  of  his  friend  ;  how  unselfishly  he  had  turned 
his  face  away  from  the  ship  that  would  have  carried 
him  to  a  pleasanter  country,  and  had  voluntarily  gone 
back  into  that  profound  wilderness  to  work  out 
a  trust  which  would  require  months  of  time  ;  and  he 


196  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

said  to  himself  :  "  What  a  selfish  creature  I  am  to 
repine,  when  I  have  been  so  blessed ;  when  in  England 
an  angel  is  waiting  for  me  ;  when  in  the  depths  of 
Africa  a  brave  soul  by  his  every  act  is  teaching  me 
lessons  of  self-abnegation." 

A  moment  later  another  thought  came  to  him  which 
was  a  delight,  and  that  was  that  with  every  revolution 
of  the  screw  he  was  drawing  nearer  to  his  Grace. 
When  an  hour  later  he  retired  to  his  stateroom  he 
hummed  a  sono-  as  he  went,  and  the  throbbing  of  the 

o  o 

machinery  and  the  wash  of  the  seas  against  the  ship's 
beam  made  his  lullaby,  as  the  long  roll  of  the  steamer 
rocked  him  to  sleep. 

As  before  stated,  Sedgwick  had  written  his  wife 
fully  at  Port  Natal.  Two  days  after  he  left,  the 
steamer  from  the  North  came  in.  It  remained  five 
days,  and  then  started  North  again.  Its  mails  were 
eighteen  days  in  reaching  London. 

Grace  was  looking  for  a  letter  from  Port  Natal, 
when  Sedo;wick's  cable  from  Melbourne  reached  her. 

^ 

She  could  not  quite  comprehend  the  matter  until,  a 
day  later,  his  letter  came,  and  the  next  day  his  second 
cable,  announcing  that  he  was  just  about  to  sail  for 
San  Francisco.  That  day  she  did  what  she  had  not 
done  since  she  left  school — -got  a  map  of  the  world 
and  studied  it  until  she  put  her  finger  on  a  spot 
between  Sidney  and  New  Zealand,  and  said  :  "  He  is 
there  now,"  and  bent  and  kissed  the  place  on  the 
map. 

That  evening  she  went  over  from  her  home  to  call 
upon  Jack  and  Rose.  There  she  found  a  gentleman 


THE  \VI-;DGI:  OF  GOLD.  197 

who,  with  his  wife  and  daughter,  were  going-  to  sail 
two  days  later  for  Australia,  via  New  York  and  San 
Francisco.  Their  names  were  Hobart.  Grace  had 
known  them  ever  since  her  father  had  moved  to 
London.  They  were  talking  of  their  proposed  jour 
ney,  when  the  young  lady  said  gaily  :  "  Mrs.  Sedg- 
wick,  come  along  with  us  as  far  as  New  York,  or  San 
Francisco  at  least."  At  this  the  father  and  mother 
together  seconded  the  invitation. 

"  Do  you  really  mean  it?"  said  Grace. 

"  Indeed  we  do,"  said  all  three. 

"  And  when  do  you  sail  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  Early,  day  after  to-morrow.  That  is,  we  leave 
here  early  and  sail  at  noon,"  said  Mr.  Hobart.  "  We 
have  two  full  staterooms  engaged.  You  can  room 
with  Lottie  " — the  young  lady's  name— "  and  be  com 
panion  for  us  all." 

"  I  will  be  ready  day  after  to-morrow  morning," 
said  Grace,  seriously. 

"  Not  in  earnest  ?"  said  Rose. 

"In  sober  earnest,"  said  Grace. 

"  To  New  York  ?  "  said  Browning. 

"  To  New  York,  and  may  be  farther,"  was  the 
reply. 

"  As  far  as  Ohio,  I  guess,"  said  Jack. 

"  May  be  as  far  as  Ohio,"  said  Grace,  and  she 
smiled  as  she  spoke. 

The  Hobarts  were  delighted,  but  Jack  and  Rose 
looked  serious. 

"  It  is  a  long  way,  Grade,"  said  Jack. 

"  A  fearfully  long  way,"  said  Rose. 


198  THK    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  Suppose,  Rose,  that  Jack  was  as  far  away,  would 
you  think  it  a  long  way  to  go  to  see  him  ?  "  asked 
Grace. 

"  O,  Gracie!  No,  no,"  said  Rose. 

"When  did  you  hear  last  from  your  husband?" 
asked  Hobart. 

"  This  afternoon,"  said  Grace. 

"And  how  long,  Grace,  before  he  will  be  in  Eng 
land  ?  "  asked  Jack. 

It  was  the  first  time  any  question  had  been  asked 
of  her  more  than  the  question  if  she  had  heard,  and 
if  he  was  well. 

"  About  one  hundred  days,  I  think,"  said  Grace  ; 
41  that  is,"  she  added,  "  if  I  go  and  find  him  and  bring 
him  home." 

Next  day  Grace  made  all  her  arrangements  and 
was  ready  to  leave  early  on  the  following  morning. 
Parting  with  her  mother  was  her  great  sorrow,  but 
the  mother  approved  of  her  going,  and  the  good-byes 
were  not  so  sad  as  though  they  did  not  expect  to  be 
soon  again  reunited. 

They  made  the  voyage  to  New  York  in  nine  days. 
Remaining  one  day  in  that  city,  they  started  West ; 
stopped  one  day  in  Chicago,  and  reached  San  Fran 
cisco  seventeen  days  from  Liverpool. 

Hobart  had  been  in  San  Francisco  before,  and 
wanted  to  stop  at  the  Lick  House,  but  Grace  insisted 
that  her  friends  liked  the  Occidental  best  ;  so  they 
went  to  the  Occidental. 

Four  days  after  reaching  San  Fracisco,  the  Hobarts 
sailed  for  Australia.  They  urged  Grace  to  accom- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  199 

pany  them,  but  she  declined,  saying,  with  a  smile,  that 
she  believed  for  the  present  she  preferred  the  solid 
earth  to  the  unstable  sea.  She  saw  her  friends 
aboard  the  steamer;  then  returning  to  the  hotel,  sent 
for  the  manager,  Major  H.;  explained  that  she  ex 
pected  her  husband  by  the  first  steamer  from  Aus 
tralia  ;  that  he  did  not  expect  to  find  her  ;  so  she 
wished  to  surprise  him,  and  desired  the  finest  apart 
ments  in  the  hotel,  including  a  private  dining-room  ; 
and  requested  that  when  it  was  known  that  the  ship 
was  coming  up  the  harbor,  the  rooms  should  be 
elaborately  dressed  with  flowers.  She  also  stipulated 
that  her  husband,  on  his  coming,  should  be  conducted 
to  his  apartments  without  any  knowledge  that  any 
one  was  waiting  for  him. 

Major  H.,  captivated  by  the  little  English  lady, 
entered  into  the  full  spirit  of  the  programme  and 
promised  that  he  would  personally  attend  to  the 
matter. 

Grace  was  transferred  to  the  new  rooms,  and  there 
after  had  her  meals  served  in  her  own  dininor-room. 

o 

Three  days  later,  about  one  p.  m.,  a  message  came 
that  the  Australian  steamer  had  at  noon  been  sighted 
outside  the  Heads,  and  was  then  entering  the  Golden 
Gate. 

The  flowers  were  forthcoming;  the  apartments  were 
swiftly  decorated  ;  then  Grace,  with  the  utmost  pains 
taking,  robed  herself  in  her  richest  costume  and 
seated  herself  in  the  private  dining-room,  with  the 
sliding  doors  slightly  ajar  so  that  she  could  look 
through  into  the  parlor  of  the  suite  without  being  seen. 


2OO  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

The  suspense  was  fearful  to  her  for  half  an  hour. 
Would  he  really  come  ?  Separating  in  London, 
and  he  traveling  east,  would  she  by  coming  west  find 
him  ?  Would  he  be  well  ?  Had  he  really  escaped 
the  African  fever  and  all  the  dangers  that  lurked  in 
the  weary  stretches  of  treacherous  billows  ? 

Those  were  a  few  of  the  questions  she  was  asking 
herself,  when,  in  the  hall,  a  well-known  voice  rang 
out  which  made  her  heart  bound.  It  was  saying  : 
4<  There  must  be  an  oversight  somewhere.  I  surely 
ought  to  have  had  some  letters  awaiting  me." 

The  door  opened,  and  the  hearty  voice  of  Major 
H.  was  heard  by  the  listener.  "  These  are  your 
apartments,  Mr.  Sedgwick,"  he  said,  "  and  I  trust  you 
will  find  them  pleasant." 

Then  the  other  occupant  said  :  "  But  I  do  not  care 
for  any  such  rich  rooms  as  these  ;  any  little  corner 
will  suffice  for  me." 

"  Oh  no,"  said  the  Major.  "  Try  these  quarters 
for  a  day  or  two,  and  if  by  that  time  you  wish  to 
exchange  them  for  others,  we  will  see  to  it.  We  try 
to  please  our  Australian  friends,  for  we  hope  for  more 
and  more  of  them  throughout  all  the  years  to  come." 

With  that  he  closed  the  door. 

"  Australia  ! "  Grace  heard  her  husband  say.  "  I'm 
no  Australian  ;  I'm  a  full-blooded  African,  a  regular 
Boer  or  Kaffir,  and  no  mistake.  But,  bless  my  soul, 
this  is  a  fairy  spot  !  A  way-up  place,  surely  !  From 
the  depths  of  Africa  and  the  society  of  Boers  and 
Kaffirs  to  an  enchanted  palace  !  This  must  be  the 
bridal  chamber  of  the  establishment.  I  believe  they 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2OI 

have  made  a  mistake  and  think  me  the  King  of  the 
Pearl  and  Opal  Islands.  I  wish  dear  old  Jordan 
could  see  this.  I  wish,  O  God,  I  wish  my  Grace,  my 
queen,  could  see  this,  that  I  might  first  crown  her 
with  flowers,  and  then  fall  down  and  worship  her  ! " 
She  could  bear  the  tension  no  longer.  Pushing 
the  doors  back  quickly,  she  stood  pale,  but  radiant,  for 
an  instant,  before  the  astonished  man;  then  stretching 
out  her  divine  arms,  said,  "  O,  my  darling  !  " 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

SHIPPING    A    QUARTZ    MILL. 

That  evening  Major  H.  met  Sedgwick  in  the  office, 
and,  with  a  twinkle  of  the  eye,  asked  him  if  he  was 
really  anxious  to  take  cheaper  apartments. 

The  young  man  smiled  and  said  he  rather  thought, 
as  he  would  probably  only  remain  two  or  three 
months,  it  would  not  be  worth  while  to  change. 

Next  morning  Sedgwick  ordered  a  forty-stamp 
gold  quartz  mill  complete,  with  two  rock-breakers, 
the  batteries  to  be  of  five-stamp  each  and  low  mor 
tars,  with  a  single  pan  for  cleaning  up — a  free  gold 
quartz  mill.  Instead  of  one  heavy  engine,  he  ordered 
two,  each  of  forty-horse  power  to  work  on  the  same 
shaft,  to  be  supplied  by  six  thirty-horse-power  boilers 
to  be  set  in  two  batteries.  He  ordered  also  one  six- 
inch  and  one  four-inch  steam  pump,  with  the  neces 
sary  boilers,  and  besides,  a  donkey  hoisting  engine, 
good  for  an  eight-hundred  hoist.  The  order  included 
all  the  needed  attachments,  belting,  retorts,  duplicates 
of  all  parts  subject  to  breakage  or  wear,  a  forge,  and 
shoes  and  dies  enough  to  last  two  years. 

He  stipulated,  too,  that  the  wood-work  of  the  bat 
tery  should  be  gotten  out,  exactly  framed  and  marked, 
and  that  all  the  pulleys,  bolts,  etc.,  should  be  in 
cluded. 

In  two  days  the  specifications  were  gotten  ready, 
and  the  contract  signed,  which  included  a  clause  that 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  203 

the  whole  should  be  ready  in  sixty  days,  or  less,  from 
that  date. 

Then  Sedgwick  wrote  fully  to  Jordan,  giving  him 
the  account  of  what  he  had  done,  and  sending  him  a 

o 

draft  of  the  ground  plan  of  the  mill,  and  full  details 
as  to  the  grading,  hoping  he  would  receive  the  letter 
and  have  the  rocks  hauled,  the  battery  blocks  gotten 
out,  and  the  grading  done. 

This  work  under  way,  the  exultant  man  devoted  all 
his  time  to  Grace,  except  that  every  day,  when  in  the 
city,  he  would  make  a  run  two  or  three  times  to  the 
foundry  to  mark  the  progress  of  the  work. 

Meanwhile,  the  happy  pair  visited  every  point  of 
interest  in  and  about  San  Francisco.  They  frequented 
the  theatres,  drove  to  the  Park  and  the  Cliff  House, 
and  both  declared  that  San  Francisco  was  the  most 
delightful  spot  on  earth. 

They  were  all  the  world  to  each  other.  In  the 
happiness  that  filled  their  hearts  their  eyes  were  soft 
ened,  so  that  everything  they  looked  at  took  on  rose 
ate  hues — the  world  had  become  a  throne  to  them, 
over  which  had  been  drawn  a  cover  of  cloth  of  gold. 

Once  they  made  a  journey  to  Virginia  City,  and 
descended  the  Gould  and  Curry  shaft,  and  Sedgwick 
showed  his  bride  where  he  and  Jack  first  discussed 
the  probability  of  trying  to  make  a  little  raise  in 
stocks.  They  went  and  looked  at  the  lodging-house 
on  the  Divide  where  Jack  and  Sedgwick  roomed  so 
long  ;  visited  the  mills,  saw  crude  bullion  cast  into 
bars,  and  watched  the  procession  of  a  miner's  funeral, 
and  in  their  rambles  Sedgwick  stopped  many  a  miner 
whom  he  had  known,  and  presented  his  bride. 


204  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Returning,  they  got  off  at  Sacramento  and  waited 
over  one  day.  There  Sedgwick  ordered  four  seven- 
ton  wagons,  with  four  trail  wagons  of  five  tons  each, 
and  four  more  of  three  tons  each,  and  twelve  sets  of 
team  harness,  a  dozen  of  yokes  and  no  end  of  chains ; 
also  a  strong,  covered  spring  wagon  with  harness  to 
match. 

After  forty  days,  Sedgwick  was  informed  that 
everything  would  be  ready  in  ten  days.  His  idea 
had  been  to  charter  a  brig  or  bark,  and  send  the 
machinery  to  Port  Natal  by  a  sailing  craft  ;  but  in 
crossing  the  bay  in  visits  to  Oakland,  Saucelito  and 
San  Rafael,  he  had  noticed  anchored,  out  in  the 
stream,  a  small  iron  bark-rigged  steamer  which  carried 
the  British  flag,  .and  had  read  thereon  the  name 
"  Pallas."  One  day  he  asked  some  men  on  the  wharf 
what  ship  it  was  and  why  it  lay  so  long  in  the  harbor. 

The  answer  was  that  it  was  an  English  tramp 
steamer  that  some  months  previously  came  in  loaded 
with  wines  and  brandies  from  Bordeaux. 

The  men  also  gave  the  information  that,  though  a 
tramp  steamer,  it  was  thought  to  be  a  very  strong 
craft,  fully  bulk-headed,  with  first-class  machinery, 
and  was  commanded  by  the  owner,  a  Scotchman 
named  McGregor,  who,  when  not  on  his  ship,  stopped 
at  the  Occidental  Hotel. 

Sedgwick  had  already  made  his  acquaintance  at 
the  hotel,  so  when  he  met  him  that  evening  he  asked 
him  how  long  he  expected  to  remain  in  the  city. 
McGregor  replied  that  he  was  waiting  to  secure 
a  cargo  for  his  ship. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  205 

Then  Sedgwick  drew  him  out  and  learned  that  his 
steamer  was  of  six  hundred  tons,  built  with  all  care 
for  a  gentleman's  yacht ;  that  after  awhile  the  owner 
tired  of  his  plaything  and  sold  it  to  him  at  a  mighty 
discount  on  its  first  cost  ;  and  that  he  was  seeing  the 
world  in  it,  and  trying  at  the  same  time  to  rrake  the 
craft  pay  its  own  expenses.  He  said  also  he  had  a 
picked  crew  and  private  surgeon,  and  added:  "When 
I  secure  a  cargo,  if  you  and  the  madam  will  become 
my  guests,  I  will  adopt  you  both  as  long  as  you  please 
to  follow  the  seas." 

Sedgwick  declined  with  thanks,  but  said :  "  You 
want  to  see  the  world  ;  how  would  you  like  to  make 
a  run  to  the  coast  of  Africa  ?" 

"  I  would  not  object,"  he  replied.  "  I  have  had  the 
'  Pallas  '  overhauled  since  we  came  into  port.  She  is 
in  first-class  trim,  good  for  a  year  if  no  unusual  mis 
fortune  overtakes  her.  I  would  as  soon  o-o  to  Africa 

o 

as  any  other  place." 

The  result  was  the  "  Pallas  "  was  chartered  to  carry 
out  the  machinery,  some  mill-wrights,  a  couple  of 
engineers,  a  couple  of  mill  workers,  an  assayer,  and 
any  miscellaneous  freight  that  Sedgwick  might  desire 
to  send. 

The  ship  was  hauled  into  the  wharf  next  day,  and 
the  loading  of  what  was  ready  was  begun.  Sedgwick 
got  on  board  his  wagons  and  trappings  from  Sacra 
mento.  He  ordered  also  a  great  quantity  of  drill 
steel,  picks  and  shovels,  quicksilver,  some  giant 
powder  and  caps,  some  blankets,  mattresses,  canned 


2O6  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

fruits,  pickles,  boots  and  brogans,  and  a  whole  world 
of  other  supplies  such  as  miners  use. 

In  fifteen  days  the  ship  was  loaded,  and  the  craft 
put  to  sea,  as  was  understood  and  published,  with  a 
mixed  cargo  for  Australia. 

Sedgwick  had  insured  the  cargo ;  had  paid  the 
owner  in  advance  the  freight,  and  McGregor  esti 
mated  that,  if  prosperous,  he  could,  running  slow  to 
save  coal,  and  stopping  a  week  or  ten  days  in  Aus 
tralia  for  coal  and  fresh  supplies,  make  Port  Natal  in 
eighty  days. 

In  the  meantime  Sedcrwick  and  his  wife  had   made 

o 

the  acquaintance  of  an  English  gentleman  and  his 
wife,  named  Forbes,  who  a  few  days  previous  had 
started  for  England,  but  who  had  promised  to  visit 
some  English  friends  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  until 
Sedgwick  and  Grace  should  overtake  them,  that  they 
might  sail  on  the  same  ship  from  New  York. 

The  day  after  the  "  Pallas"  sailed,  Sedgwick  and 
his  bride  took  the  overland  train  for  the  East. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

A  LOST  TRAIL    DISCOVERED. 

They  reached  Indianapolis  in  due  time  ;  stopped 
at  a  hotel,  and  Sedgwick  had  no  difficulty  in  finding 
the  Forbeses.  He  was  presented  to  their  friends,  the 
Brunswicks,  and  Mrs.  Brunswick  insisted  that  Sedg 
wick  should  go  straight  to  the  hotel  and  bring  his 
wife  to  her  house. 

He  thanked  the  old  lady  warmly,  but  begged  to  be 
excused,  saying  they  could  visit  without  that. 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  old  lady,  "  but  I  will  certainly 
have  my  way  in  another  thing.  You  must  go  right 
off  and  tell  your  wife  that  an  old  English  woman  up 
the  street  says  she  must  waive  ceremony  and  come 
right  here  for  dinner." 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  Sedgwick  proceeded  to  do 
the  errand. 

The  Sedgwicks  were  shown  into  the  drawing-room 
of  the  Brunswicks,  and  had  been  for  a  few  minutes 
conversing  when  the  door  opened  and  a  lady  entered. 

A  orjance  was  enough  to  show  that  she  was  exceed- 

o  O 

ingly  beautiful.  She  was  perhaps  twenty-six  or 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  not  too  tall,  rounded  into 
full  maturity,  with  a  most  strong  but  winsome  face. 
Her  eyes  were  blue,  her  hair  a  golden  brown  and 
glossy,  and  when  she  spoke,  her  teeth  were  revealed, 
perfect  and  white. 


207 


2O8  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

She  was  presented  to  the  strangers  as  Mrs.  Hazle- 
ton. 

Dinner  was  shortly  after  announced,  and  after  din 
ner,  when  the  gentlemen  had  returned  to  the  drawing- 
room,  Mrs.  Brunswick  asked  Mrs.  Hazleton  to  sing. 
She  did  not  say  "  Mrs.  Hazleton,"  but  just  "  Mar 
garet." 

Without  making  any  excuses  she  went  to  the  piano 
and  asked  Mrs.  Brunswick  if  she  desired  any  particu 
lar  piece.  She  answered  : 

11  No,  my  dear,  sing  anything  you  feel  like  singing; 
only  have  it  old-fashioned  and  sweet,  rather  than 
scientific." 

Strangely  enough,  she  struck  a  few  wailing  chords 
on  the  instrument,  and  then  with  a  pathos  and  tender 
ness  most  touching,  sang  the  old  song  beginning  : 

"Could  you  come  back  to  me,   Douglas." 

The  effect  was  great  on  all  the  company,  but  to 
Sedgwick  and  his  bride  it  was  intensely  thrilling. 

The  eyes  of  Grace  filled  with  tears,  and  Sedgwick, 
who  was  near,  unobserved  by  the  rest,  took  and 
pressed  her  hand. 

The  company  separated  early,  with  an  agreement 
for  the  ensuing  day,  which  was  to  fill  it  with  rides, 
luncheon,  a  matinee  for  the  ladies,  and  dinner  after 
ward. 

So  soon  as  Sedgwick  and  his  bride  were  by  them 
selves,  Grace  said  :  "Love,  did  you  ever  hear  any 
thing  half  as  sweet  as  that  singing  ?" 

"Yes,"  said  Sedgwick,  "I  heard  that  same  song 
once,  more  sacredly  sung." 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2OQ 

"O  James!"  Grace  replied,  and  a  celestial  glow 
warmed  her  face. 

"  But  that  lady  has  a  secret  grief,  certain,  "  said 
Grace.  "  There  was  real  sorrow  in  her  tones,  and 
there  is  a  sorrow  in  her  face,  despite  its  superb  seren- 
ity.  " 

"Well,  she  is  a  widow,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"Yes,  I  know,"  was  the  answer;  "but  there  is  more 
than  sorrow  ;  she  gives  me  the  idea  that  her  thought 
is  that  something  priceless  has  been  lost  which  she 
might  have  saved.  " 

"Now  I  think,  little  one,  that  'you  have  struck  it,' 
as  the  miners  say,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  How  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  Some  one  who  would  have  made  her  his  wife  and 
worshiped  her  has  gone,  and  she  is  miserable,"  said 
Sedgwick. 

"What  makes  you  say  that,  dearest?"  asked  Grace- 

"  Because,"  replied  Sedgwick,  "I  know  it,  and  I 
know  where  he  has  gone,  and  she  does  not." 

'*  Why,  what  do  you  know  of  her?  Did  you  ever 
meet  her  before  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  No,  I  have  never  met  her,  but  I  have  met  some 
one  who  has,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  O,  tell  me  all  about  it  ! "  said  Grace. 

"Why,  child,"  Sedgwick  said,  "that  is  the  lady 
who  went  to  Texas  and  taught  school  one  season,  who 
set  the  honest  heart  of  Tom  Jordan  on  fire,  and 
burned  it  half  to  ashes,  made  him  sell  his  home  be 
cause  he  was  so  wretched,  and  finally,  with  my  help, 
or  through  my  fault,  set  him  to  running  a  tunnel  to  a 


210  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

mine  in  Southern  Africa,  among  the  Boers  and 
Kaffirs." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  can  be  true  ?"  asked  Grace. 

"I  know  it,"  said  the  confident  man.  "The  de 
scription  and  the  singing  tally,  and  the  name  is  the 
same.  Tom  says  her  singing  would  make  a  lark,  out 
of  envy,  '  fall  outer  a  tree  '." 

"  Upon  my  soul !  "  said  Grace,  and  then  lapsed  into 
silence. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  sweet  ?  "  asked  Sedg- 
wick,  after  a  pause. 

"  I  was  thinking  what  accidents  our  lives  hang 
upon, "  she  said.  "  O,  love,  suppose  you  had  not 
fancied  me  at  all,  what  would  have  become  of  me  ?" 

"And  suppose  you  had,  when  I  did  fancy  you  and 
you  knew  my  heart  was  in  the  dust  at  your  feet,  that 
the  touch  of  the  hem  of  your  robe  upon  me  thrilled 
me  like  old  wine  ;  suppose  then  I  had  pleaded  for  your 
love,  and  though  you  felt  it  was  mine  and  intended  to 
give  it  to  me,  still  had  refused  me  ;  might  you  not  be 
singing,  Could  you  come  back  to  me,  Douglas,  in 
tones  to  break  any  one's  heart  who  might  hear  you  ?'' 

Grace  thought  a  moment,  and  then  said  :  "  There's 
more  than  all  that  to  this,  love  ;  you  men  do  not  know 
much  when  it  comes  to  the 'hearts  of  women.  She 
had  some  other  and  good  reason  when  she  refused 
the  true-souled  man." 

"  I  believe  now  that  you  are  right,  my  little  sorcer 
ess,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  and  I  believe  that  the  reason 
has  since  been  removed,  and  her  great  grief  now  is  in 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  211 

thinking  of  Jordan's  sorrow  and  than  she  cannot  find 
him." 

"  I  will  tell  you  what,"  said  Grace  ;  "  I  will  get  as 
near  her  to-morrow  as  I  can,  and  will  try  to  coax  her, 
hire  her — if  needs  be — to  accompany  us  to  England." 

"A  capital  thought,  my  wise  little  wife!"  said 
Sedgwick.  "  Then  when  you  gain  her  confidence,  if 
you  think  it  best,  we  will  try  and  help  her  find  the 
great-hearted  man." 

"  I  believe  you  are  an  angel,"  said  Grace. 

"  I  know  you  are,"  said  Sedgwick,  and  involuntarily 
they  kissed  each  other. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

BACK    TO     ENGLAND. 

Before  the  Sedgwicks  left  Indianapolis,  Gracefound 
her  opportunity  and  said:  "Mrs.  Hazleton,  soon 
after  we  reach  England  my  husband  will  go  away  for 
four  or  five  months.  I  shall  be  awfully  lonesome. 
You  have  never  been  across  the  sea.  Take  pity  upon 
me  and  be  my  guest  for  a  few  months  until  you 
weary  of  me." 

The  lady  was  startled  by  the  proposition,  waited  a 
moment,  and  then  said  : 

44  I  do  not  know  how  to  thank  you,  but  I  came 
here  to  teach  music.  I  have  several  pupils,  and  have 
a  contract  to  sing  in  the  choir  of  one  of  the  churches. 
I  need  the' little  revenue  that  I  receive,  but  if  I  could 
get  released  from  my  obligations  I  would  most  gladly 
go,  for  I  do  covet  a  change  exceedingly." 

"Then,"  said  Grace,  "if  I  can  get  that  release, 
and  will  pay  you  as  much  as  you  receive  here,  and 
all  your  expenses  out  and  back,  will  you  go  ?  " 

"  Indeed,  I  will,"  she  answered,  "  and  will  be  grate 
ful  to  you  all  my  life." 

The  arrangement  was  easily  made,  and  the  further 
arrangement  that  Sedgwick  and  his  bride  should  go 
to  Ohio,  visit  Sedgwick's  family  for  three  or  four 
days;  then  should  join  the  Forbeses  and  Mrs.  Hazle 
ton  at  a  certain  hotel  in  New  York,  and  all  would 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  213 

embark  on  the  steamer  that  would  sail  on  the  next 
week  Saturday — ten  days  from  that  day. 

Then  Sedgwick  and  Grace  started  for  the  Miami 
Valley. 

What  a  welcome  was  there  !  The  old  house  had 
been  repaired,  modernized,  refurnished  and  repainted. 
A  new  house  had  been  built  on  the  other  farm.  It 
was  in  the  first  days  of  February.  That  year  there 
was  good  sleighing,  and  the  whole  town  seemed  to 
turn  out  to  celebrate  the  occasion  of  Jim  Sedgwick's 
bringing  home  his  bride.  Four  days  passed  in  a 
whirl  of  pleasure.  The  first  morning  after  their 
arrival,  Sedgwick  asked  his  brother  for  his  trotting 
team,  his  new  cutter,  and  the  bells,  to  give  Grace  her 
first  sleigh-ride.  The  steppers  were  of  the  2:30 
class,  the  roads  good,  and  the  fair  English  girl-wife 
was  in  ecstacies.  They  drove  past  the  Jasper  farm 
on  the  hill,  and  Sedgwick  told  Grace  that  it  was  his 
dream  for  years  to  accumulate  $30,000  to  release  the 
mortage  from  his  father's  farm  and  to  buy  the  Jasper 
farm. 

4<  Then  what  would  I  have  done?"  asked  Grace. 

"  Married  some  English  banker,  or  may  be  some 
'My  Lord  Fitzdoodle,'  probably,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  But,  then,  suppose  a  year  later  I  had  seen  you, 
what  would  become  of  me  ?  "  she  said. 

"  We  should  have  been  very  formal  and  polite,  and 
then  have  gone  our  several  ways,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Yes,  because  you  are  a  man  of  principle,  and  I 
hope  my  pride  of  womanhood  would  have  sustained 
me,  but  my  heart  would  have  broken,  for  with  me  it 


2*4  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

was  a  mad  passion  which  absorbed  my  life  before  I 
had  been  in  your  presence  half  an  hour,"  said  Grace  ; 
and  then  added  :  "I  do  not  any  more  wonder  at  the 
crimes  which  come  of  mismated  marriages." 

Then  Sedgwick  told  her  how, when  he  left  her  side 
the  first  time,  he  took  that  ride  and  asked  cabbie  how 
much  they  would  charge  at  Newgate  to  hang  him. 

And  they  both  laughed,  but  there  were  tears  in  the 
eyes  of  Grace  even  while  she  smiled.  But  she  rallied 
in  a  moment  and  said  : 

"  Why  not  buy  the  place  still  ?  Except  to  leave  my 
mother,  I  would  be  on  that  farm  with  you  as  happy  a 
wife  as  ever  lived.  I  would  rather  live  upon  that  hill 
than  in  our  great  modern  Babel,  London." 

Just  then  the  cutter  went  in  and  out  of  a  "Thank- 
ee-mom"-— a  hollow  between  two  snowdrifts — and 
Sedgwick  bent  and  kissed  his  wife. 

"  Thanks,"  said  Grace. 

"  That  was  a  kiss  on  principle.  That  was  a  pure 
-duty,"  said  Sedgwick.  Then  he  explained  how  ven 
erable  was  the  custom,  and  elaborated  upon  the 
respect  due  it  because  of  its  age  and  its  usefulness  to 
bashful  lovers,  because  a  youth  must  kiss  the  girl 
who  goes  sleighing  with  him  whenever  he  comes  to  a 
"  Thank-ee-mom  "  among  the  drifts. 

"  What  a  poor  old  country  England  is,"  said  Grace. 

"  Why  so  ?"  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  Why,  had  we  but  had  snowdrifts  and  '  Thank-ee- 
moms,'  I  would  have  made  you  kiss  me  three  weeks 
sooner  than  you  did,"  said  Grace. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  215 

"  Did  you  want  me  to  kiss  you  sooner  than  I  did  ?" 
asked  Sedgwick. 

"  O,  you  blind  darling!"  said  Grace.  ''When  I 
read  of  your  exploit  before  the  church  in  Devon 
shire,  I  told  Jack  and  Rose  that  I  would  like  to 
kiss  that  man.  Then  he  told  me  who  the  man 
was,  and  after  all  I  had  to  wait  so  long  I 
began  to  fear  he  would  never  give  me  a  chance  to 
carry  out  my  desire." 

"  Is  that  true,  Gracie  ?  "  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  Indeed  it  is,"  she  replied,  and  then  she  quickly 
continued,  "  Does  it  drift  badly  along  here  ?  " 

"  Pretty  badly,"  answered  Sedgwick. 

"  Then,  love,"  answered  Grace,  "buy  the  farm  by 
all  means  and  at  all  hazards." 

"  I  believe  I  will,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  I  believe  we 
need  it  in  our  business.  If  when  we  get  back  to  Eng 
land  it  shall  be  known  that  we  have  bought  a  home  in 
America,  and  are  having  a  house  built,  it  will  take  all 
suspicions  about  a  possible  African  enterprise  away." 

And  that  day  he  bought,  the  farm,  and  the  next 
one  to  it,  and  told  his  brother  he  would  send  from 
England  plans  for  a  house  to  be  built  in  the  spring. 

Next  day  came  the  parting  from  the  old  home. 
Sedgwick  promised  to  return  before  many  months  and 
stay  longer,  and  he  and  his  wife  started  for  New 
York. 

They  rested  over  one  train  at  Niagara,  and  took  in 
its  splendor  as  seen  in  winter-time,  and  arrived  in 
New  York  on  Wednesday.  Forbes  had  purchased 
the  tickets,  and  secured  the  rooms  on  the  ship  for  the 


2l6  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

whole  party.  Thursday  and  Friday  were  devoted  to 
taking  in  as  much  as  possible  of  the  great  city.  On 
Saturday  they  sailed. 

The  voyage  was  generally  uneventful,  except  that 
one  day  they  were  treated  to  a  beautiful  spectacle  of 
rescuing  a  crew  from  a  water-logged  craft.  The  wind 
was  fresh,  and  there  was  an  uneasy  sea  on,  when  a 
signal  of  distress  was  noted  off  across  the  water.  The 
steamer  was  headed  for  it,  and  in  half  an  hour  came 
up  to  it.  It  was  a  little  old  lumber  schooner.  The 
sea  was  washing  its  deck  with  every  wave.  In  the 
meantime,  the  second  officer,  with  six  seamen,  had 
taken  their  places  in  a  boat.  The  boat  had  been 
swung  out  over  the  water.  The  sailors  were  standing 
by,  holding  the  tackle  by  which  a  boat  is  lowered  ;  the 
commander  was  on  the  bridge,  and  when  in  hailing 
distance  of  the  craft  he  dropped  his  hand  and  the 
engines  stopped.  He  shouted  through  his  trumpet, 
asking  what  was  wanted.  "  To  come  aboard,"  a  voice 
came  back.  The  commander  dropped  his  hand  again, 
and  down  ran  the  boat  and  pulled  away  for  the  wreck. 
It  would  mount  a  wave,  and  then  sink  out  of  sight  of 
those  on  the  ship's  high  deck  ;  then  climb  again.  It 
returned  in  twenty  minutes,  and  it  was  the  commander 
of  the  great  ship  that  took  the  hand  of  the  schooner's 
rough  skipper  as  the  boat  was  hoisted,  and  for  the 
remainder  of  the  voyage  the  shipwrecked  skipper 
had  a  state-room  by  himself,  and  his  seat  at  the  table 
was  at  the  commander's  right  hand. 

They  reached  Liverpool  on  the  tenth  day — Mon 
day — and  went  up  to  London  the  same  afternoon. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2I/ 

Reaching   the    city,    Sed^wick  sent  a  message  to 

O  J   '  O  O 

Mrs.  Hamlin  to  meet  them  at  the  house  of  Jack  and 
Rose,  for  he  would  not  go  to  the  Hamlin  house. 

Sedgwick,  with  his  wife  and  Mrs.  Hazleton,  went 
at  once  to  the  home  of  the  Brownings. 

Rose  was  wild  with  delight   at  their  coming.      She 

o  £3 

hugged  Grace,  kissed  her  and  cried  over  her  ;  kissed 
Sedgwick,  and  welcomed  Mrs.  Hazleton  so  cordially 
that  the  lady  was  sure  it  was  sincere. 

Then  Mrs.  Hamlin  came,  and  the  whole  business 
had  to  be  done  over  again,  the  elder  lady  reproaching 
Grace  and  her  husband  for  not  comincr  to  her,  and 

O 

scolding  even  as  she  embraced  them. 

Then  matters  quieted  down  enough  to  talk.  Rose 
explained  that  she  was  a  deserted  wife;  that  Jack  six 
weeks  before  had  come  home  one  night  and  told  her 
that  he  was  going  to  sail  for  South  America  next  day  ; 
that  she  could  not  go  along,  but  must  be  good  and 
not  be  lonesome  for  six  or  eight  weeks. 

Then  she  continued:  "That  is  the  kind  of  mon 
sters  these  men  are.  They  beg  and  tease  and  pro" 
test  until  we  women  take  pity  on  them  and  marry 
them,  and  then  when  the  woman's  chances  forgetting 
a  good  man  are  all  spoiled,  they  rush  off  on  the 
slightest  provocation  to  America,  or  India,  or  Austra 
lia,  or  China,  or  some  other  barbarous  place,  and  all 
a  woman  can  do  is  to  mope  and  threaten  that  next 
time  she  will  know  better." 

And  then  she  laughed,  and  then  as  suddenly  cried 
and  said  :  "  Poor  dear  old  Jack  !  May  the  seas  be 


2l8  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

merciful,  and  may  the  good  ship  bring  him  safely 
back  and  be  quick  about  it  ! " 

And  sure  enough,  a  week  later  a  step  was  heard 
outside,  someone  with  a  night  key  opened  the  door, 
and  Rose  flew  into  Jack's  arms  and  cried  so  hyster 
ically  that  it  took  Jack  a  long  time  to  calm  her. 

Browning  explained  to  Sedgwick  that  he  had  been 
earning  a  commission  by  going  out  and  reporting  on 
a  mine  in  Venezuela,  just  over  the  border  from  British 
Guiana.  He  brought  to  Rose  a  world  of  tropical  and 
marine  curiosities.  He  was  in  superb  health  and 
seemed  to  be  in  good  spirits. 

It  was  understood  that  Sedgwick  would  have  to  go 
away  again  in  a  month,  and  it  was  his  wish  and  that 
of  Grace  to  find  a  house  and  have  an  establishment 
of  their  own. 

Jack  and  Rose  insisted  that  during  Sedgwick's 
absence  Grace  and  Mrs.  Hazleton  should  be  their 
guests,  but  Sedgwick  said  with  a  laugh  :  "O.  Mrs. 
Browning,  you  and  Jack  are  good,  but  you  both 
know  that  no  house  is  big  enough  for  two  families." 
And  quietly  Jack  and  Rose  and  Mrs.  Hamlin  were 
enjoined  never  in  Mrs.  Hazleton's  presence  to  men 
tion  Jordan's  name. 

However,  the  difficulty  was  finally  settled.  The 
house  Jack  lived  in  was  a  double  house.  The  other 
half  was  occupied  by  a  gentleman,  his  wife  and  one 
child.  The  lady  was  delicate,  and  the  doctors,  baffled 
by  her  case,  ordered  her — as  usual — to  try  a  change 
of  climate.  So  Sedgwick  hired  the  house  as  Brown 
ing  had  his  ;  the  servants  remained,  and  permission 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  219 

was  obtained  to  cut  a  doorway  in  the  partition  walls 
that  divided  the  two  halls,  so  that  Rose  could  visit 
Grace  in  the  morning  and  Grace  could  visit  Rose  in 
the  evening. 

Sedgwick  and  Browning  were  almost  inseparable 
during  the  day-time.  Sedgwick  assured  Browning 
that  things  were  working  well,  begging  him  not  to 
disturb  either  old  man  Hamlin,  or  Jenvie,  or  Stetson, 
but  to  "rig  some  purchase  "  after  he  should  be  gone, 
to  get  the  remaining  shares  in  '  The  Wedge  of  Gold  ' 
from  them,  and  also  to  be  sure  to  keep  the  former 
owner  of  that  mine  in  the  country,  even  if  he  had  to 
raise  his  salary. 

He  told  him  also  that  he  expected  next  time  to  be 
absent  four  or  five  months. 

One  morning  about  thirty-five  days  after  his  arrival 
in  London  he  received  a  cable  from  McGregor 
announcing  the  arrival  of  the  "  Pallas  "  at  Melbourne 

o 

and  saying  he  would  sail  again  in  four  days.  Then 
Sedgwick  made  his  final  preparations  for  departure. 
He  sent  full  plans  for  a  house  to  his  brother,  with 
directions  where  to  build.  He  obtained  a  promise 
from  Mrs.  Hazleton  that  she  would  not  desert  Grace 
during  his  absence,  and  from  Jack  that  he  would  not 
try  any  prosecutions  to  obtain  his  money  from  the  old 
men  until  his  return,  explaining  that  he  had  made  his 
arrangements  in  America,  and  was  then  going  to  see 
that  African  mine  and  work  it  if  it  would  do. 

His  wife  knew  where  he  was  going  ;  the  others 
-except  Jack,  believed  he  meant  to  return  to  the 


J20  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

United  States.  He  told  them  he  had  a  little  business 
in  Paris  and  would  this  time  take  a  French  steamer. 

Grace  worried  more  over  the  second  parting  than 
she  had  over  the*  first.  She  cried  a  good  deal  and 
was  much  distressed.  But  it  was  over  at  last,  and 
Sedgwick  was  gone.  He  did  stop  over  a  few  hours  in 
Paris,  made  an  arrangement  which  he  desired  to  with 
the  Bank  of  France,  then  speeded  on  to  Marseilles, 
caught  the  Imperial  steamer,  sailed  over  the  same 
route  as  before  to  Port  Said,  and  there  embarked  on 
exactly  the  same  steamer  that  he  and  Jordan  sailed 
for  Port  Natal  in  seven  months  before. 

He  was  twenty  days  from  London  to  Port  Natal. 
Jordan  was  at  D'Umber  waiting  his  coming,  and  the 
joy  of  the  meeting  was  immeasurable.  When  they 
became  calm,  Jordan  said  :  "  It  war  a  good  while,  old 
friend,  but  I  knowed  as  how  y'd  cum." 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

DEALING   IN  MINING  SHARES. 

The  presence  of  Sedgwick  in  London  greatly 
excited  and  alarmed  Jenvie,  Hamlin  and  Stetson. 
That  mysterious  American  had  returned,  and  all 
confidently  expected  each  day  to  be  served  with  a 
notice  of  with  a  suit  or  a  warrant  of  arrest.  But  finally 
it  leaked  out  that  he  had  bought  a  home  in  Ohio  and 
ordered  a  house  built,  sending  the  plans  from  London, 
and  as  day  after  day  passed  and  no  sign  was  given, 
they  gained  courage,  and  when  Sedgwick  once  more 
left  England,  as  they  supposed  for  America,  they 
grew  jubilant  again.  The  firm  was  now  Jenvie, 
Hamlin  &  Stetson.  Their  business  was  prospering, 
and  they  all  realized  that  the  way  to  make  money  was 
to  have  money  to  use,  and  the  prestige  which  the 
command  of  large  means  gives. 

About  a  week  after  Sedgwick's  departure  they  were 
seated  in  their  private  office  one  morning  congratulat 
ing  themselves,  when  the  former  owner  of  '  The 
Wedge  of  Gold  '  was  announced. 

"  We  cannot  afford  to  snub  the  origin  of  our  foi- 
tune,"  said  Jenvie  ;  "show  him  in."  This  man's  name 
was  Emanuel.  He  was  a  Portugese.  On  this  morn 
ing  he  presented  a  seedy  and  dissipated  appearance, 
as  though  he  had  been  enjoying  his  fortune  too 

rapidly. 

221 


222  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Once  ushered  in,  he  did  not  waste  any  time,  but 
explained  that  he  had  very  little  money  left,  and  had 
called  to  see,  in  case  the  gentlemen  did  not  intend  to 
develop  'The  Wedge  of  Gold,'  on  what  terms  they 
would  transfer  back  to  him  the  mine,  or  any  interest 
they  might  possess,  and  give  him  a  chance  to  go  over 
to  Hamburg  and  try  to  work  the  capitalists  of  that 
city  to  buy  a  mine  down  among  their  second  cousins 
in  Boerland. 

"  How  much  could  you  afford  to  give  for  the 
property?"  asked  Hamlin. 

"  I  sell  him  for  ,£2,000.  I  would,  for  one  specula 
tion,  buy  him  back  if  you  could  sell,  and  would  give 

/1, 000." 

"  But  you  always  said  it  was  a  good  mine,"  said  Jen- 
vie. 

"  Of  course,"  he  answered,  "an  excellent  mine/' 
but  on  ze  best  of  ze  mines  there  vos  always  one 
selling  and  then  one  buying  price." 

"If  we  were  to  sell  to  you,  would  you  work  the 
property  ?  "  asked  Jenvie. 

"  Most  certainly,"  he  replied  ;  "  I  would  work  it  as 
I  did  before — on  ze  paper." 

"  We  have  sold  the  control,"  said  Hamlin,  "  and 
have  only  left  some  shares  of  stock." 

"  I  understand,"  said  the  man;  "Mr.  Browning  has 
the  control  and  is  unloading  the  stock  cheap.  He 
three  days  ago  tendered  me  some  stock  for  one 
shilling  per  share.  I  said,  '  No,  but  give  me  one  bond 
at  three  pennies  per  share  for  four  months,  and  I  will 
consider  ze  matter,  and  try  to  help  you  close  out 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  22J 

some  unproductive  property.'  He  would  not  comply, 
but  he  thought  it  over  very  much,  and  asked  me  to 
call  again.  One  broker,  Mr.  Williams,  offered  to  sell 
me  plenty  for  four  pennies,  but  would  not  make  one 
bond." 

"  We  do  not  care  to  bond  ours,"  said  Jenvie,  "but 
would  sell  for  four  pennies." 

"  I  will  not  give  it,"  said  Emanuel,  rising  to  go. 
"  I  would  give  you  three  pennies,  but  no  more,"  and 
he  started  for  the  door. 

The  three  consulted  in  private  for  a  moment,  and 
then  Jenvie  called  to  Emanuel,  who  was  half  out  of 
the  door,  that  he  might  have  the  stock  at  three  pen 
nies  for  cash,  but  begged  him  not  to  mention  that  he 
had  purchased  it.  Emanuel  paid  the  money  and  took 
the  stock,  and  then  said  :  "  You  ask  me  not  to  mention 
this  business.  Are  you  crazy  ?  Suppose  Mr.  Brown 
ing  by  and  by  bonds  me  ten  thousand  shares  less 
than  half  he  has  got,  with  this  in  my  pocket  who  will 
then  have  ze  control  ?  I  want  you  to  promise  to  say 
nothing  about  this  sale  for  six  months.  In  the  mean 
time  I  propose  to  become  just  so  intimate  with  Mr. 
Browning  as  possible." 

Then  he  winked  and  walked  out,  and  the  conspir 
ators  looked  in  each  other's  faces  and  smiled. 

Emanuel  went  directly  to  Browning  and  delivered 
him  the  stock,  but  he  lied  about  the  price  he  had  paid 
for  it,  telling  Browning  he  had  given  five  pennies  per 
share  for  it.  But  while  Browning  was  sure  the  man 
had  lied,  he  was  satisfied,  for  he  then  had  all  of  the 
stock  of  "  The  Wedge  of  Gold." 


224  ^HE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Browning  had,  as  he  told  Sedgwick,  gone  to  South 
America  on  a  commission.  It  was  known  in  London 
that  he  was  a  miner  who  had  made  a  success  in 
America.  An  Englishman  who  had  a  bond  on  a 
mine  in  Venezuela  had  hired  him  to  go  over  and  make 
a  report  on  it.  He  fulfilled  the  trust,  but  he  heard 
while  there  of  another  mine  in  a  district  ten  miles 
away.  He  went  to  see  it  and  bought  it  for  ,£2,000, 
hired  a  foreman  and  ten  men;  laid  out  the  work  for 
them  for  six  months  ahead,  and  left  ,£1,000  in  a  local 
bank  to  pay  them,  with  instructions  to  the  foreman  to 
send  him  a  report  and  sample  by  every  steamer. 

The  first  mine  was  sold  on  his  report,  and  besides 
his  commission  of  ^300,  the  happy  man  who  had  sold 
the  mine  called  at  his  house  one  day  when  Browning 
was  out,  and  left  an  envelope  directed  to  him.  The 
envelope  contained  a  check  for  ,£3,000,  and  a  note 
saying  that  the  writer  thought  he  was  entitled  to  one- 
tenth  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale,  and  that  Browning 
must  accept  the  money,  for  the  writer  intended  that 
day  to  leave  England.  Browning  turned  the  money 
over  to  Rose  as  her  fee  "as  an  expert." 

A  month  later  a  steamer  from  Georgetown  (  British 
Guiana  )  brought  news  that  the  Browning  mine  was  de 
veloping  superbly,  and  still  a  month  later  the  foreman 
estimated  that  he  had  five  thousand  tons  of  ore  in 
sight  which  would  average  as  well  as  the  samples 
sent.  Browning  had  the  samples  assayed,  and  they 
averaged  ,£5  6s.  in  gold  per  ton. 

He  had  a  friend  named  Campbell,  who  was  a 
broker:  Campbell  dropped  in  upon  him  as  he  was 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  225 

looking  over  the  assays,  and  he  told  him  all  about  the 
mine. 

"  What  will  you  give  me  to  sell  that  property  for 
you,  Browning  ?  "  asked  Campbell. 

"  Not  a  penny,"  said  Browning,  "but  I  will  give  you 
a  bond  on  it  for  four  months  for  an  even  ,£100,000, 
and  you  may  make  as  much  above  that  as  your  con 
science  will  allow  ;  you  may,  by  Jove." 

"  Will  you  make  me  a  report  and  map  ? "  asked 
Campbell. 

"  I  will  write  you  a  report,  and  make  you  a  rough 
sketch,  "  said  Browning,  "  but  my  drawing  lessons 
were  neglected  when  I  was  young,  and  I  am  not  a 
very  reliable  or  finished  map-maker." 

The  conversation  closed  with  an  agreement,  and 
the  bond  and  report  were  in  due  time  finished. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A    WEDGE    OF    GOLD    INDEED. 

Sedgwick  and  Jordan  waited  at  Port  Natal  for  the 
coming  of  the  "  Pallas."  Sedgwick  explained  what 
the  ship  would  bring,  and  told  Jordan  about  Grace 
being  in  San  Francisco  to  receive  him,  and  how, 
while  the  mill  was  being  built,  he  and  his  wife  had 
raced  around  the  country. 

Jordan  was  delighted.  "  I  told  yo'  she  war  a  game 
girl,"  he  said.  "  Think  of  her  traveling  six  thousand 
mile  to  jine  ther  man  who  hed  run  away  from  her  at 
ther  meetin'  house  do' !  But  I'm  mighty  glad  she  did, 
all  the  same.  It  confirms  my  estermation  of  ther  lady." 

Then  he  explained  that  he  put  on  eight-hour  shifts 
to  run  the  tunnel,  two  English  miners  on  each  shift 
to  handle  the  drills  and  gads,  and  Boers  and  Kaffirs 
to  carry  back  the  debris  ;  that  the  rock  was  most 
favorable,  and  rapid  progress  was  made,  averaging  a 
little  over  ten  feet  per  day  ;  that  he  offered  bribes  and 
bounties  to  the  shift  that  should  make  most  progress  ; 
and  that  he  had  tapped  the  ledge  and  cross-cut  it  in 
four  months,  "  because,"  he  added  naively,  "  we  lost 
all  reckonin'  o'  time,  'nd  I'm  afeerd  we  worked  of  er 
Sunday  sometimes;"  that  the  ore  was  quite  up  to  the 
average,  or  a  little  better  than  what  was  on  the  dump; 
that  so  soon  as  the  vein  was  struck  he  had  started  drifts 
up  and  down  the  ledge  and  an  upraise,  and  had,  when 


226 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  227 

he  left,  probably  1,000  tons  of  ore  on  the  dump,  and 
that  as  the  mine  was  further  opened  the  daily  output 
was  steadily  increasing-.  He  had,  moreover,  got  the 
mill  site  graded,  and  the  wall  that  the  battery  was  to 
be  set  in  front  of,  built,  comfortable  quarters  put  up, 
and  the  road  through  the  canon  made  so  that  it  would 
be  good  for  heavy  teams. 

When  he  heard  that  Sedgwick  had  sent  some  heavy 
wagons,  yokes,  harness  and  chains  he  was  glad,  say 
ing  :  "  I  war  afeerd  you'd  forget  it,"  and  at  once  went 
about  to  select  the  stock  and  drivers  for  those  wagons. 

After  they  had  waited  eight  days,  the  "  Pallas  " 
made  the  port. 

Captain  McGregor  reported  a  prosperous  voyage, 
and  the  next  day  the  discharging-  of  cargo  into 
lighters  began  and  was  rushed  with  all  speed.  As 
soon  as  the  wagons  were  landed,  the  work  of  setting 
them  up  began,  and  the  training  of  the  teams  was 
likewise  inaugurated. 

The  first  full  loads  were  started  for  the  mine  in  a 
week.  The  heavy  machinery  was  loaded  on  the  im 
ported  wagons,  native  conveyances  were  secured  for 
the  other  freight,  and  in  fourteen  days  everything  was 
in  transit. 

In  the  meantime  another  mail  had  arrived  from 
England,  bringing  letters  from  Grace  to  Sedgwick. 
One  had  news  of  special  interest.  It  told  that  the 
confidence  of  Mrs.  Hazleton  had  been  partly  gained  ; 
that  she  had  learned  much  of  the  lady's  life  ;  how  she 
was  left  an  orphan  at  thirteen  in  New  Jersey  ;  how  at 
seventeen  when  at  school  she  had  run  away  and  mar- 


228  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ried  a  wild  youth  ;  how  they  left  at  once  for  the  West; 
how  the  wild  boy  settled  down,  and  with  a  few  hun 
dred  dollars  which  he  had  when  they  were  married  he 
had  made  a  few  thousand  and  was  doing  well  when  he 
suddenly  sickened  and  died  ;  how  then  his  relatives 
came  forward  and  made  a  contest  for  his  property,  set 
ting  up  that  she  had  never  been  married  ;  that  the 
showing  was  so  fearful  against  her  that  the  court  in 

o  o 

Iowa  refused  her  any  support  from  the  estate,  and  in 
her  shame  and  confusion  she  went  away  to  Texas  and 
taught  school  for  six  months  to  earn  money  enough 
to  make  her  defense;  that  there  she  met  an  unlettered 
and  sensitive  man,  but  at  the  same  time  one  of  the 
clearest-brained,  most  generous  and  noble-hearted  men 
in  the  world,  but  in  whom,  from  the  fact  he  was  so 
sensitive  and  generous,  she  could  not  confide,  lest  she 
might  not  be  able  to  vindicate  herself  ;  and  if  she 
failed,  she  feared  she  would  not  only  lose  his  confi 
dence,  but  that  it  would  mike  him  believe  there  was 
no  truth  in  the  world.  How  with  ihe  money  she 
earned,  she  was  able  to  go  to  New  Jersey,  to  find  in 
the  papers  of  the  old  clergyman  who  had  married  her 
(and  who  had  in  the  meantime  died),  not  only  a  full 
record  of  the  marriage,  but  the  marriage  certificate 
with  the  names  of  the  witnesses  attached,  which  cer 
tificate  had  never  been  called  for.  By  it,  too,  she  was 
able  to  find  the  witnesses  of  the  marriage,  and  one  of 
those  witnesses  had  known  her  all  her  life.  So  when 
the  case  came  on  for  hearing  she  was  so  completely 
vindicated  that  her  neighbors  who  had  turned  on  her 
a  cold  shoulder  came  back  with  every  outward 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2  2Q 

demonstration  of  joy  over  her  triumph.  But  she  hated 
the  place  ;  converted  all  she  had  into  money  ;  bought 
a  lot  in  a  cemetery  outside  that  State  and  had  her 
husband's  remains  moved  there,  because  she  thought 
his  sleep  would  be  vexed  in  a  community  so  mean  ; 
and  then  wrote  to  her  friend  in  Texas,  merely  asking 
if  he  was  well,  and  if  she  might  explain  something  to 
him. 

In  ten  days  the  letter  came  back  with  the  endorse 
ment  on  it  by  the  postmaster  that  her  friend  had  sold 
his  property  at  a  sacrifice  and  disappeared,  his  near 
est  friends  did  not  know  where.  Grace's  letter  added 
that  she  was  worrying  under  the  fear  that  perhaps  if 
she  had  not  i^one  to  Texas  the  true  man  would  never 

o 

have  made  the  sacrifice. 

Grace  declared  that  she  was  in  love  with  the  lady; 
that  she  was  a  fine  scholar,  a  finished  elocutionist,  a 
marvelous  musician,  and  the  comfort  of  her  life  in 
her  husband's  absence.  The  letter  closed  with  an 
injunction  that  Sedgwick  must  bring  Jordan  safely 
home  with  him,  and  not  be  too  long  about  it. 

How  Sedgwick  wanted  to  show  that  letter  to 
Jordan  !  But  he  realized  that  if  Mrs.  Hazleton  loved 
him  it  was  for  her  to  tell  him  so. 

He  racked  his  brain  to  invent  a  necessity  for 
Jordan's  return  to  London,  but  a  little  thought 
convinced  him  that  all  such  expedients  would  be  in 
vain,  because  Jordan  had,  as  he  said,  "  enlisted  fo'  the 
wah,"  and  Sedgwick  realized  that  if  on  any  pretext 
he  sent  him  away,  the  suspicion  might  arise  in 
Jordan's  mind  that  the  object  was  a  selfish  one,  now 


230  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

that  the  labor  and  anxiety  of  making  the  enterprise  a 
success  had  well-nigh  passed. 

So  he  decided  that  the  thing  to  do  was  to  hurry 
the  work  in  hand  to  culmination.  The  rainy  season 
was  pretty  well  over,  and  the  material  for  the  mill 
was  pushed  forward  with  reasonable  dispatch.  It  was 
all  on  the  ground,  set  up,  and  in  motion  in  fifty  days. 

Sedgwick  found  on  reaching  the  mine  that  Jordan 
had  built  the  needed  houses,  and  had  the  mill  as 
nearly  completed  as  it  could  be  before  the  machinery 
was  set  in  place. 

The  ore  crushed  easily,  and  the  mill  reduced  two 
tons  and  a  half  per  stamp  readily  in  every  twenty- 
four  hours,  in  thirty  days  crushing  3,000  tons.  It 
yielded  in  the  mill  $35  per  ton,  and  at  the  end  of  thirty 
days  there  were  bars  of  the  value  of  $100,000  ready 
for  shipment.  Then  Sedgwick  said  :  "  Come,  Tom, 
our  work  is  finished  here,  at  least  for  the  present;  let 
us  seek  civilization." 

"  Agreed,  old  friend,"  said  Jordan.  "  I'll  get  my 
trophies  together  and  be  ready  ter  start  in  ther 
morning." 

"  And  what  are  your  trophies  ?"  asked  Sedgwick, 

"  Why,  didn't  1  tell  yer  ?  "  was  the  reply.  "  It  got 
kinder  lonesome  while  yo'  war  away,  so  I  went  on  a 
hunt.  I've  got  ther  finest  pair  o'  leopard  skins  yo' 
ever  seen,  some  elephant  tusks,  'nd  I  migh'er 
brought  a  sarpent  skin  that  war  a  daisy,  but  I  drew 
ther  line  on  snakes."  But  he  war  twenty-three  feet 
long,  and  ther  look  outer  his  eyes  war  not  reassurin' 
by  a  blamed  sight.  I  migh'er  got  a  giraff  skin,  too, 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  231 

but  she  heel  her  baby  with  her,  and  I'm  not  breakin' 
up  no  giraffe  families." 

It  was  understood  that  they  were  to  leave  in  the 
morning  ;  were  to  go  in  the  covered  spring  wagon, 
and  were  to  carry  the  gold. 

One  of  the  English  miners  was  made  superintend 
ent  of  the  mine.  The  mill-men  from  San  Francisco 
agreed  to  look  after  the  mill  for  a  year,  and  the  civil 
engineer  undertook  to  see  to  the  books,  to  attend 
to  the  finances  and  send  an  express  to  the  coast  once 
a  week. 

So  Sedgwick  and  Jordan,  with  one  Boer,  started 
early  in  the  morning.  It  was  in  the  last  week  in 
May ;  the  weather  was  cold  for  that  region,  for  it  was 
the  beginning  of  winter. 

They  drove  out  of  the  narrow  valley,  through  the 
canon,  out  upon  the  open  table-land  and  down  to  the 
house  or  dug-out  which  they  had  first  found  when  in 
search  of  a  way  out.  They  rested  there,  ate  some 
luncheon,  fed  their  horses,  and  after  an  hour  and  a 
half  started  on. 

They  had  brought  with  them  their  repeating  rifles 
and  revolvers.  Before  getting  into  the  wagon,  Jordan 
had  rolled  up  and  fastened  the  curtains  of  the  wagon, 
examined  closely  the  guns,  and  then  gave  a  long, 
sweeping  look  all  around  the  horizon. 

"  What  are  you  looking  for,  Jordan?"  asked 
Sedgwick. 

"  Nuthin'  much,"  he  answered.  "  Only,  Jim,  have 
yer  gun  whar  yo'  can  reach  it  quick  if  wanted." 

"  Why  ?"  asked  Sedgwick. 


232  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD 

"  Nuthin,"  said  Jordan.  "  Only  I  never  seen  this 
place  afore  thet  thar.  war  not  a  dozen  cut-throat- 
lookin'  scoundrels  'round,  and  they  mighter  mean 
mischief,  knowin'  as  how  we  have  ther  treasure 
aboard." 

They  had  driven  on  for  perhaps  a  mile,  when  the 
road  ran  down  close  to  the  stream.  All  at  once  half 
a  dozen  shots  rang  out  of  the  willows,  and  the  Boer 
sprang  from  the  wagon  and  ran  for  the  bush. 

Sedgwick  wfe.s  driving.  Jordan  in  a  second  caught 
his  gun,  and  springing  over  the  seat,  said  : 

"  Drive  on  quick,  Jim,  and  in  ther  meantime  I'll 
try  ter  entertain  ther  varmints." 

A  Boer  stepped  out  of  the  willows  and  raised  his 
gun.  He  never  fired  it,  but  threw  up  his  hands  and 
fell  on  his  face.  A  shot  from  Jordan's  gun  had 
changed  his  calculations. 

Three  or  four  more  shots  were  fired  from  the  bush, 
but  they  did  no  harm. 

Sedgwick  had  urged  the  team  into  a  run,  and  they 
had  just  begun  to  hope  the  ambuscade  had  been 
passed,  when  three  more  Boers  sprang  out  of  the  wil 
lows  nearly  opposite  them  and  fired. 

Jordan  killed  two  of  them  in  a  moment,  but  the 
third  one  fired  again,  and  the  bullet  struck  Jordan's 
left  arm,  disabling  it  and  -making  a  bad  wound. 

"  Can  you  drive,  think  ?"  asked  Sedgwick. 

Jordan  thought  he  could,  and  took  the  reins; 
Sedgwick  picked  up  his  gun. 

Three  more  Boers  just  then  appeared  by  the  wil 
lows  opposite.  Sedgwick  could  shoot  as  rapidly  and 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  233 

as  accurately  as  Jordan,  ana  he  cleared  the  field  in  a 
moment. 

The  road  bent  away  from  the  stream  soon  after, 
back  upon  the  table-land,  and  they  were  safe.  They 
stopped,  and  Sedgwick  bound  up  Jordan's  arm.  The 
bone  was  not  broken,  and  no  great  blood-vessel  was 
seriously  injured,  but  he  had  received  a  nasty  flesh 
wound  through  the  muscles  of  his  forearm. 

As  they  proceeded  on  their  journey,  Jordan  said  : 
"  That  black  guard  as  I  first  got  a  crack  at  hed  been 
working  for  us  two  months.  He  war  at  his  work 
yesterday.  He  put  up  this  business,  but  how  we 
sprised  him  !  Ther  devil  that  jumped  from  the 
wagon  when  ther  scrimmage  begun  war  his  runnin' 
pard.  Wur  it  not  lucky  neither  hoss  war  hit  ?  " 

They  reached  Port  Natal  in  six  days  without  fur 
ther  incident ;  but  despite  all  the  care  that  Sedgwick 
could  give  it,  Jordan's  arm  was  badly  inflamed  and 
very  painful  when  they  reached  the  seashore. 

No  regular  steamer  was  in  port,  but  the  "  Pallas" 
was  seen  at  anchor  out  in  the  roadstead. 

Sedgwick  engaged  a  boat,  and  with  Jordan  pulled 
out  to  the  steamer. 

McGregor  was  delighted  at  their  coming,  took 
them  on  board  and  said  :  "  Now,  boys,  we  will  have 
a  night  of  it." 

But  Sedgwick  said  :  "First,  Captain,  I  want  your 
surgeon  to  look  at  Jordan's  arm." 

"  Why,  of  course,"  said  McGregor.  The  doctor 
was  called.  He  examined  the  arm,  then  tested  the 
man's  temperature,  and  finally  said  : 


234  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  The  wound  is  nothing  in  itself.  Under  normal 
conditions  it  would  heal  in  a  fortnight,  but  Mr.  Jor 
dan's  system  is  run  down.  He  has  a  low  fever  on 
him  now,  and  needs  immediate  treatment  and  careful 
nursing." 

This  was  a  new  situation,  and  one  that  troubled 
Sedgwick  exceedingly.  He  was  silent  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  looking  up,  said  : 

"  Captain  McGregor,  where  do  you  go  next  ?" 

"  I  was  just  going  to  pull  out  for  Calcutta,  Hong 
Kong,  Yokohama  and  San  Francisco,"  he  replied. 

"  And  when  do  you  sail?"  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  I  intended  to  put  to  sea  to-morrow,"  was  the 
answer;  "  everything  is  ready." 

"  Can  I  induce  you  for  love  and  money  to  make 
the  run  at  full  speed  to  Naples  or  Marseilles  ?"  asked 
Sedgwick. 

"  Not  for  money,  but  for  love,  yes,"  was  the  reply. 

"And  can  1  have  a  room  for  Jordan  right  now  ?" 
was  the  next  question. 

"You  shall  have  the  bridal  chamber  of  my  ship," 
said  McGregor. 

"  Thanks,  Captain/'  said  Sedgwick,  "and  now  let  us 
get  the  dear  old  boy  to  bed." 

Jordan  insisted  that  he  was  not  ill,  but  before  they 
could  get  him  undressed  he  was  seized  with  a  chill, 
and  they  worked  upon  him  an  hour  before  he  rallied, 
grew  warm  and  fell  asleep. 

In  the  meantime  the  night  had  come  down,  so 
Sedgwick  got  a  little  supper  and  then  went  back  to 
his  friend.  The  captain,  steward,  indeed  all  hands, 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  235 

were  all  attention,  for  they  knew  all  about  both  men. 

Next  morning  Jordan  was  comfortable,  but  the 
fever  was  having  its  way.  Sedgwick  went  ashore, 
got  his  own  and  Jordan's  baggage  and  the  bullion, 
and  when  he  returned  the  ship  was  at  once  got  under 
way  for  her  northern  voyage. 

The  attentions  of  Sedgwick  to  his  sick  friend  were 
simply  incessant.  The  ship's  surgeon  was  also  assid 
uous  in  his  care.  Captain  McGregor  was  all  the 
time  most  solicitous.  As  they  approached  the  equa 
tor,  they  fixed  for  Jordan  a  bed  on  deck  where  the 
air,  even  if  it  was  hot,  was  better  in  motion  over  him 
than  in  the  stifling  state-room. 

The  ship  rounded  the  great  cape  in  ten  days,  and 
reached  the  Red  Sea  on  the  twelfth  day.  Then  the 
surgeon  motioned  Sedgwick  aside,  and  said  :  "  The 
case  of  your  friend  makes  me  very  anxious.  His 
wound  is  not  of  itself  serious.  He  has  a  little  fever, 
but  it  would  not  be  of  a  dangerous  type  in  an  ordinary- 
patient.  In  this  case  the  sick  man  acts  like  one  who 
has  lost  hope,  and  under  the  sorrow  of  his  loss  his 
nerve  power  has  ceased  to  exert  its  force,  and  the 
man  is  liable  to  die  simply  because  he  will  make  no 
effort  to  live." 

"  I  know,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  and  I  have  been  dread 
ing  such  a  report  as  you  have  made  me,  for  the  last 
seven  days.  If  you  can  keep  his  life  from  going  out 
until  we  can  reach  Naples,  I  believe  we  can  then 
find  a  tonic  that  will  save  him." 

<:  I  will  try,"  was  the  answer,  "  but  he  is  growing 
weaker  every  day,  and  I  am  afraid.  However,  the 


236  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

temperature  is  growing  cooler  and  it  gives  us  a  better 
chance." 

Sedgwick  tried  by  talking,  by  reading,  and  by 
drawing  rosy  pictures  of  what  they  would  do  in  Eng 
land  and  America,  to  rouse  Jordan,  but  without  much 
success. 

He  lay  patient  and  still  on  his  couch,  and  to  all 
inquiries  would  answer  :  "  I'm  perfectly  comfortable, 
dear  friend.  Do  not  worry  about  me  ;  everything  is 
as  it  should  be." 

Then  Sedgwick  tried  another  experiment.  He 
told  the  sick  man  that  he  must  exert  himself  to  be 
better  ;  that  sickness  was  often  influenced  by  the  will 
of  the  patient,  and  added  that  the  real  work  of  trying 
to  undo  the  wrong  perpetrated  upon  Browning  would 
have  to  be  done  when  they  reached  England,  and 
that  he  should  then  need  the  best  counsel  and  help 
of  his  friend. 

Jordan  listened  and  said  :  "  I'll  do  the  best  I  ken, 
Jim,  but  it  will  be  all  right,  I'm  shor." 

So  the  hours  went  by,  and  Captain  McGregor  told 
the  engineer  to  crowd  on  all  steam,  and  to  bribe  the 
fireman  to  give  the  ship  all  the  speed  possible. 

At  Suez,  Sedgwick  went  ashore  and  cabled  his  wife 
that  he  was  on  the  "  Pallas;"  to  come  at  once  to  Na 
ples  ;  to  induce  Jack  and  Rose  to  come  also>  and,  if 
she  thought  best,  to  bring  Mrs.  Hazleton,  for  Jordan 
was  ill,  and  he  feared  nothing  but  the  cheer  of  friend 
ly  faces  would  arouse  him  and  give  him  the  strength 
to  live.  He  added  that  she  must  use  her  woman's 
wits  as  to  what  she  would  tell  Mrs.  H.,  and  that  to 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  237 

outsiders  it  must  all  seem  but  as  running  over  to  the 
continent  for  a  few  days'  outing. 

When  Grace  Sedgwick,  very  early  one  morning,  re 
ceived  and  read  that  message,  she  held  it  for  many 
minutes,  lost  in  thought.  She  had  grown  very  near 
to  Mrs.  Hazleton,  but  except  when  she  had  drawn 
from  her  the  story  of  her  life,  she  had  never  probed 
in  the  least  to  see  if  in  her  heart  she  was  nursing  a 
vast  regret. 

But  she  had  noticed  some  things  that  led  her  to 
believe  that  the  lady  had  an  anxiety  which  she  was 
trying  to  conceal.  She  was  always  ready  to  visit  any 
point  of  interest  that  would  naturally  attract  a 
stranger,  or  to  attend  any  public  assemblage  that  a 
stranger  might  be  lured  to.  Again,  she  always  ap 
proached  such  places  with  vivacity,  and  returned  from 
them  in  silence. 

As  Mrs.  Sedgwick  sat  with  the  dispatch  doubled 
up  in  her  closed  hand,  Mrs.  Hazleton  came  into  the 
room.  Touching  a  chair  by  her  side,  Grace  said  : 
"Come  and  sit  by  me,  Margaret.  I  want  to  talk  with 
you." 

She  complied,  merely  saying:  "What  do  you 
want  to  talk  about,  love  ? " 

"Are  you  happy?"  asked  Grace. 

"Indeed,  yes.  Why  do  you  ask?"  was  the  reply. 
"  Have  you  not  been  making  my  life  a  bed  of  roses 
ever  since  your  blessed  eyes  first  rested  on  me  ?" 

Grace  looked  at  her  intently  for  a  moment,  then 
said  :  "  Is  there  some  one  whom  you  wish  exceed 
ingly  to  see  ?" 


238  THE    WEDGE    OE    GOLD. 

A  rosy  flush  swept  like  a  wave  over  her  face,  which 
was  followed  by  a  quick  pallor.  But  she  recovered 
herself  almost  instantly,  and  said:  "Why,  Mrs. 
Sedgwick,  do  you  ask  me  so  strange  a  question  ?" 

Grace  arose,  then  bending  down,  took  her  hand, 
laid  the  dispatch  upon  the  palm,  closed  the  fingers 
gently  over  it  and  said  : 

4<  My  dear,  there  is  a  paper  for  you  to  read.  I  am 
going  to  Rose  for  a  few  minutes.  When  I  return, 
you  may  tell  me  anything  you  please,  or  nothing  at 
all,  as  you  please  ;  only  let  me  tell  you  first  that  be 
fore  my  husband  went  to  Nevada,  he  went  to  another 
State,  lived  there  with  a  great-hearted  man  for  a  year, 
and  that  man  was  with  him  when  he  left  me  at  the 
church  door  on  my  wedding  day,  and  they  have  been 
together  since,  except  when  my  husband  left  him  to 
go  to  America  to  buy  machinery  and  came  back  this 
way  to  join  him  again."  Then  she  suddenly  bent  and 
kissed  her  friend  and  was  gone. 

She  went  through  to  Rose's  side  of  the  house,  found 
her,  and  asked  where  Mr.  Browning  was. 

"He  is  in  the  library,"  said  Rose;  "he  has  not 
yet  gone  out  this  morning." 

"  Then  come  with  me,"  said  Grace.  Once  in  the 
library,  she  said  :  "  I  have  news  from  my  James 
this  morning.  He  cabled  me  from  Suez.  He  is 
coming  home,  and  he  wants  us  to  meet  him  at  Naples. 
Mr.  Jordan  has  been  with  him — is  coming  with  him, 
is  ill,  I  fear  very  ill,  and  he  wants  us  to  meet  him,  I 
believe  chiefly  on  that  dear  man's  account.  I  shall 
leave  this  afternoon  ;  can  you  go  with  me?" 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  239 

"I  can,"  said  Jack. 

"  I  can,"  said  Rose. 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  said  Grace.  ''And  say,  there  must 
be  nothing  said  to  the  servants,  except  that  we  have 
run  over  to  the  continent  on  a  lark,  for  a  few  days. 
And  now  good-bye  until  we  are  ready." 

With  that  she  returned  to  her  own  sitting  room. 
Mrs.  Hazleton  was  gone,  and  it  was  a  full  half  hour 
before  she  returned.  When  she  did,  she  was  very 
pale.  A  look  of  anxiety  was  on  her  face,  but  a 
radiant  new  light  was  in  her  eyes. 

She  came  straight  up  to  Grace,  and  in  a  low  voice 
said  :  "  When  do  you  start  ?  " 

"  To-day,"  said  Grace;  "  by  the  first  Dover 
train." 

"  O,  thanks ;  pray  God  we  be  not  too  late,"  was  the 
answer;  and  then  the  poor  woman  sank  into  a  chair, 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  broke  into  sobs 
that  were  almost  hysterical. 

Grace  stood  by  her  for  a  few  minutes,  then  knelt 
down,  put  one  arm  around  her,  drew  her  toward  her, 
gently  drew  down  the  hands  and  laid  her  cheek 
against  the  tear-dripping  cheek  of  her  friend,  and 
said  :  "  Now  you  must  be  brave,  dear  Margaret ;  it's 
going  to  be  all  well.  I  feel  it  in  every  fibre  of  my 
being.  My  husband  is  with  him.  He  will  supply 
him  with  the  vitality  to  live  until  the  vision  of  your 
face  above  his  pillow  will  bring  the  stimulus  that  he 
needs." 

The  true  woman  recovered  herself  at  length,  and 
said  :  "  O  Mrs,  Sedgwick,  how  did  you  discover  my 


240  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

secret,   and    the    great-hearted    man    whom    I     have 
sought  for  and  prayed  for  so  long  ? " 

"  It  was  not  I,"  said  Grace.  "  It  was  my  husband. 
He  lived  with  Mr.  Jordan  a  year  in  Texas.  After  he 
had  made  his  little  fortune  in  Nevada,  he — thanks  be 
to  God — came  home  with  Jack.  He  met  his  old 
friend  here,  who  frankly  told  him  how  he  loved  you, 
and  why  he  had  sold  his  home  and  turned  wanderer. 
Just  then  Jack  had  been  induced  by  his  step-father 
and  mine,  and  the  knave  Stetson,  to  invest  part  of  his 
fortune  in  a  gold  mine  in  South  Africa  ;  and  by  a 
deception,  nearly  all  that  was  left  of  his  fortune  was 
lured  away  into  the  same  channel.  Jack  was  well- 
nigh  frantic.  Rose  had  been  waiting  for  him  for  four 
years  and  a  half,  so  my  husband  insisted  upon  their 
marriage  and  determined  to  go  and  see  if  anything 
could  be  made  out  of  the  wreck,  and  asked  me  to 
wait  until  his  return.  I  agreed,  only  stipulating  that 
we,  too,  should  be  married  before  he  went.  I  left 
him  at  the  church.  My  husband  was  a  silver  miner ; 
Mr.  Jordan  was  a  gold  miner — I  do  not  know  the 
difference,  only  the  gold  miner  can  test  gold  ore — and 
they  together  went  to  Africa.  They  found  the  mine 
good,  and  found  a  new  road  to  it,  over  which  the 
machinery  could  be  transported.  Then  my  husband 
sailed  via  Australia  for  San  Francisco  to  buy  the 
machinery;  Mr.  Jordan  remained  to  open  the  mine. 
My  husband  cabled  me  from  Australia,  and  the  next 
day  I  received  his  letter  from  South  Africa,  telling 
me  that  he  would  be  two  months  in  San  Francisco, 
and  then  would  come  by  London  on  his  way  back  to 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  241 

the  South  Land.  I  took  the  first  ship  and  reached 
San  Francisco  before  his  ship  came  in  from  Australia  ; 
then  when  I  knew  the  ship  was  coming-  up  the  bay,  I 
had  the  apartments  dressed,  in  flowers,  robed  myself 
in  attire  such  as  I  had  meant  should  be  my  wedding 
garments,  and  waited  his  coming-." 

Then  she  paused  a  moment  as  the  memory  of  that 
meeting  swept  over  her,  while  the  arms  of  her  friend 
stole  around  her. 

Continuing,  she  said  :  "  When  ready  to  start  for 
England,  we,  as  you  know,  made  arrangements  to 
stop  a  day  or  two  with  our  friends  in  Indiana.  When 
you  were  presented,  my  husband  recognized  you 
instantly  by  the  name  and  description  given  of  you 
by  his  friend.  When  you  sang  that  first  song,  he 
guessed  your  secret  and  told  me  his  thought,  and 
helped  me  to  work  the  stratagem  to  lure  you  here. 
When  he  reached  Port  Natal,  he  tried  to  invent  some 
plausible  reason  to  induce  Mr.  Jordan  to  come  here, 
but  he  could  not  ;  and  so  has  hurried  to  ^et  the  mill 

o 

working,  and  now  both  are  on  the  way,  and  I  must 
meet  them.  Jack  and  Rose  are  going  with  me  ;  will 
you  ?  " 

The  arms  of  Margaret  Hazleton  were  clinging  to 
Grace,  and  the  tears  were  raining  down  her  face.  So 
soon  as  she  could  speak,  she  said : 

"  And  so,  while  I  thought  you  were  my  best  friend, 
you  have  really  been  my  guardian  angel.  I  came  with 
you  because  I  hoped  to  find  the  noble  man  who  had 
self-exiled  himself,  and  all  the  time  when  I  thought  I 
was  disguising  my  heart,  your  clear  eyes  have  been 


242  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

reading  it.  I  remember  now  in  Texas  the  boys  were 
always  talking  of  a  famous  Jim  who  had  lived  with 
them,  but  I  never  dreamed  that  he  was  your  hus 
band. 

"  My  gratitude  to  you  and  your  grand  husband  is 
bankrupt,  but  now  no  matter.  The  first  thing  to  do 
is  to  be  on  our  way — only,  do  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Browning 
also  know  my  secret  ?  " 

"Not  at  all,"  said  Grace.  "  Until  just  now  they 
did  not  even  know  that  Mr.  Jordan  was  with  my  hus 
band,  but  I  will  tell  Rose  all  that  may  be  necessary." 

All  left  that  day,  in  due  time  reached  Naples,  and 
engaged  ample  quarters  before  the  "  Pallas"  entered 
the  bay. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

FEVER    VISIONS. 

As  the  "  Pallas"  passed  out  of  the  canal  upon  the 
broad-breasted  Mediterranean,  Jordan  noticed  the 
change  in  the  motion  of  the  ship,  and  said  to  Sedg- 
wick :  "Jim,  old  friend,  we  is  back  agin  on  ther 
waters  whar  men  first  learned  ter  be  sailors,  aren't 
we?" 

"Yes,"  said  Sedgwick,  "and  in  three  days  more  I 
hope  to  gladden  your  eyes  with  the  faces  of  some 
dear  friends." 

"  Yo's  mighty  kind,  old  friend,"  said  the  sick  man  ; 
"but,  Jim,  I  wanter  tell  yo',  if  we  should  be  diser- 
pinted,  yo'll  find  inside  my  trunk  a  little  trunk,  and  in 
thet  yo'll  find  things  all  fixed  ter  tell  yer  what  ter  do. 
I  'ranged  it  when  yo'  war  away,  not  knowin'  what 
mount  be.  Remember  one  thing  mo':  everything's 
all  right  'nd  goin'  ter  be  right.  I'll  get  well  'nd  help 
yo'  ef  I  ken ;  ef  I  don't,  yo'll  make  it  easy,  nuff,  with 
out  me." 

"Indeed  I  cannot,"  said  Sedgwick.  "You  must 
brace  up  and  get  well,  for  I  tell  you,  dear  old  Tom, 
that  I  can  see  better  than  you,  and  I  have  worked 
out  a  plan  which  is. going  to  be  a  delight  for  you." 

"  Maybe  so,  Jim,"  said  the  sick  man,  and  dozed  off 
into  a  troubled  sleep.  The  surgeon  had  been  giving 
the  patient  some  powerful  medicine,  and  told  Sedg 
wick  it  might  make  him  flighty,  but  not  to  permit 

243 


244  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

that  to  alarm  him  ;  that  he  thought  he  could  promise 
to  hold  the  life  in  his  friend  for  a  few  days  more. 

Jordan  awoke  after  an  hour's  sleep,  and  said  : 
"Jim,  I  had  a  mighty  quar  dream,  sho.  I  seen  all 
ther  fleets  ez  hez  ever  sailed  on  these  waters,  havin' 
er  grand  review.  It  war  ther  ghosts  ev  ther  ships,  I 
reckon,  but  they  looked  mighty  real.  I  seen  ther 
fleets  ev  Tyre  with  ther  sails  like  calico  mustangs  ;  I 
seen  ther  Persian  fleets  thet  ther  Greeks  done  up  et 
Mycale  'nd  Salamis;  I  seen  ther  fitin'  ships  uv  Rome, 
'nd  Carthage,  'nd  Egypt,. 'nd  Venice,  down  ter  Nel 
son's  fite  on  ther  Nile.  O,  but  it  war  a  grand  perses- 
sion  !  Thar  war  calls  in  a  hundred  tongues  ;  thar 
war  responses  in  a  hundred  mo' ;  thar  war  decks  filled 
with  armed  men,  with  helmets,  spears  'nd  shields  ; 
thar  war  singin'  'nd-  prayin'  'nd  trumpet  calls; 
thar  war  ther  rattle  ev  arms,  ther  ring  ev  steel, 
'nd  ther  harsh  blast  ev  war-horns,  'nd  ther  sounds 
changed  from  age  to  age,  until  thar  came  at  last 
ther  roar  uv  hevy  guns  in  regelar  broadsides.  All 
ther  echoes  uv  all  ther  battles  uv  all  ther  cen- 
teries  war  in  my  ears.  It  war  grand  ;  grander  nor 
Chatternooga.  Thar  sea  gave  up  its  dec!  fur  me,  so 
fur  ez  this  water  £oes.  History  held  befo'  me  all  its 

o  * 

pages,  'nd  they  wuz  all  laminated  Ez  thet  picter 
swept  befo'  my  eyes,  'nd  all  thar  clamors  filled  my 
ears,  it  war  more  thrillin'  then  anything  yo'  ever 
dreamed  of.  I  ken  har  ther  calls,  'nd  ther  replies, 
'nd  ther  beatin'  uv  oars,  tho'  thar  oars  war  broken, 
'nd  ther  calls  Crowed  still  two  'nd  three  thousand 

o 

year  ago.      It  war  beautiful,  Jim,  even  ef  it  war  all 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  245 

'lusion  ter  ther  eyes  'nd  ears.  Do  yo'  remember,  yo' 
read  me  once  'Ther  Midnight  Review?'  Why,  Jim, 
thet  war  nuthin'.  This  uv  mine  war  ther  review  ev 
all  thar  ages,  ermovin'  picter  uv  ther  world  since  befo' 
civilerzation  begun." 

Then  the  sick  man  dozed  off  into  sleep  again,  and 
Sedgwick  bathed  his  face,  and  hung  over  him  as  a 
mother  watches  when  the  life  of  her  child  wavers 
between  this  world  and  the  next. 

After  awhile  Jordan  awoke  again.  This  time  there 
was  an  eager,  joyous  look  in  his  wan  face,  and  he 
searched  the  room  around  with  a  most  expectant 


gaze. 


Sedgwick  bent  over  him,  and  said  softly  :  "  What 
is  it,  old  friend?  " 

"Why,  Jim,  old  man,"  said  he,  "that  war  most 
singler.  I  hearn  her  voice  a-prayin',  hearn  it  jest  ez 
plain  'nd  natral  ez  ever  I  hearn  it  afore,  prayin'  thet 
I  might  git  well.  O,  Jim,  it  war  music,  sho'  nuff  !  and 
ef  eny. angels  war  a-listenin',  they'd  intercede  fur  me 
jest  outer  courtesy." 

"  She  was  praying,  dear  friend,"  said  Sedgwick. 
"  I  knew  it,  and  her  prayer  is  going  to  be  answered. 
Her  soul  is  trying  to  call  to  your  soul  to  rouse 
itself,  and  you  must  heed  the  call." 

"  I'll  try,"  said  the  sick  man.  "  But  don't  worry, 
old  friend  ;  no  matter  what  comes,  it'll  be  all  right. 
And,  say,  Jim,  open  my  grip  and  put  ther  handker 
chief  you  will  see  with  dots  upon  it  here  next  my 
heart." 

For  the  twenty-four  hours  nrinr  to  renchin^  Naples 


246  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Jordan  was  delirious  most  of  the  time,  and  did  not 
sleep  at  all.  Finally  the  surgeon  administered  a 
powerful  opiate,  and  when  the  ship  came  to  anchor  in 
the  beautiful  bay,  the  invalid  was  in  a  profound 
sleep. 

Browning  was  on  the  lookout  for  the  ship,  and  was 
soon  upon  its  deck.  He  and  Sedgwick  clasped 
hands,  and  the  first  words  of  Sedgwick  were  :  "  Jack, 
are  all  well,  and  who  is  here  ?" 

"All  well,"  said  Jack;  "and  your  wife,  rny  wife, 
and  Mrs.  Hazleton  are  waiting  at  the  hotel  for  you. 
And  how  is  your  friend?" 

"  Desperately  ill,  but  I  have  hopes  of  him  now," 
said  Sedgwick. 

The  surgeon  was  appealed  to,  and  he  said  it  would 
be  better  to  take  Jordan  ashore  while  yet  he  slept. 

"  I  must  first  send  a  message  that  we  are  coming, 
and  that  he  is  asleep  under  opiates,  or  we  shall 
frighten  those  who  are  watching  for  us,"  said  Sedg 
wick. 

Captain  McGregor  volunteered  to  deliver  the  mes 
sage  as  he  was  (joino"  ashore  for  a  few  minutes  to 

o  o  o 

report  to  the  port  officials  that  he  brought  no  cargo 
to  be  discharged,  except  the  baggage  of  two  passen 
gers.  Sedgwick  thanked  him,  took  his  arm,  led  him 
aside,  and  said  to  him  :  "  Captain,  when  you  find  my 
wife,  tell  her  privately  that  she  must  keep  the  other 
ladies  from  seeing  us  as  we  carry  Jordan  to  the 
house.  It  would  disturb  and  perhaps  alarm  them,  for 
he  is  not  only  wan  and  poor,  but  the  sleep  upon  him 
looks  like  the  twin  brother  of  Death," 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  247 

"I  will  see  to  it  all,"  said  the  captain,  and  at  once 
went  ashore. 

Grace  saw  him  and  recognized  him  as  *he  alighted 
at  the  hotel,  and  ran  to  the  parlor  to  meet  him  alone. 
He  explained  to  her  the  situation,  and  she  undertook 
to  see  that  the  injunction  should  be  carried  out. 

"  How  long  before  they  will  come  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"  Perhaps  thirty  minutes,"  was  the  answer. 

"  Then  excuse  me,  captain,"  said  Grace,  "  but  come 
back  later.  I  want  to  thank  you  for  all  your  kind 
ness,  and  have  a  visit  with  you.  But  now  I  must  see 
to  my  two  charges,  that  no  mistake  be  made."  . 

McGregor  promised  to  return,  shook  hands,  called 
Grace  a  "  trump,"  and  strode  away. 

So  soon  as  he  had  gone,  Grace  rang,  and  when  a 
servant  came  she  sent  for  the  manager  of  the  hotel. 
To  him  she  explained  that  in  a  few  minutes  a  sick 
man  would  be  brought  to  the  house  ;  that  his  illness 
was  not  at  all  contagious;  that  No.  --of  her  apart 
ments  must  be  prepared  for  him,  and  he  must  be  car 
ried  there  at  once. 

He  asked  if  she  was  sure  there  was  no  danger  to 
guests  from  the  sick  man,  and  she  answered  that  he 
must  know  that  no  sick  man  could  be  landed  without 
a  permit  from  the  port  surgeon. 

He  bowed  and  promised  that  her  wishes  should  be 
carried  out. 

Then  she  went  to  find  Mrs.  Browning,  and  told  her 
to  propose  to  Mrs.  Hazleton  to  go  for  a  drive  to  kill 
time,  and  to  be  sure  to  drive  in  the  opposite  direction 
from  the  bay;  to  hurry  up  and  to  be  absent  for  an 


248  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

hour  or  an  hour  and  a  quarter.  She  had  before 
explained  to  Rose  the  real  situation. 

Rose  coriiplied.  As  the  two  ladies  came  from  their 
rooms  attired  for  the  ride,  Rose  said  : 

"  Grace,  come  and  join  us  ;  we  are  going  to  see 
Naples  a  little." 

But  Grace  excused  herself  for  that  day,  promising 
to  go  next  morning. 

She  saw  them  driven  away,  and  then  took  up  her 
watch  for  the  expected  visitors. 

She  did  not  wait  long.  Four  sailors  were  carrying 
the  sick  man  ;  while  Jack,  the  ship's  surgeon,  and 
Sedgwick  were  walking  near.  The  manager  met 
them  and  directed  the  way  to  the  room  set  aside  for 
Jordan.  Grace  waited  in  the  upper  hall  for  the  pro 
cession.  Sedgwick  sprang  to  her,  but  she  put  a 
finger  on  her  lips,  caught  his  hand,  then  circled  his 
neck  with  her  arms,  swiftly  kissed  him,  and  then  whis 
pered  :  "  O  darling,  we  must  see  now  to  our  poor 
dear  sick  friend,"  and  tore  herself  away  from  him. 

Jordan  was  put  in  bed  still  sleeping.  Then  Sedg 
wick,  the  surgeon  and  sailors  came  out.  Sedgwick 
feed  the  sailors  generously,  though  they  did  not  want 
to  accept  anything.  He  then  presented  Surgeon 
Craig  to  his  wife. 

Grace  greeted  him  and  said  :  "  Doctor,  when  the 
sick  man  awakens,  will  there  be  any  danger  to  him  if 
some  one  very  dear  to  him  shall  be  sitting  by  his 
couch  ?  " 

"  None  at  all,"  was  the  answer.  "  That  is  the  medi 
cine  that  he  needs.  If  we  could  find  the  ri^ht  friend, 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  249 

I  believe  it  would  cure  him  ;  if  we  cannot,  I  fear  the 
result,  for  it  is  a  sorrow  more  than  the  fever,  I  be 
lieve,  that  is  killing  him." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  ladies  returned.  Grace  had 
Sedgwick  take  Browning  from  the  sick  room  ;  then 
explained  to  Mrs.  Hazleton  that  Mr.  Jordan  was  in 
the  house  very  ill  and  sleeping,  but  that  if  she  were 
strong  enough  she  ought  to  be  at  his  bedside  when  he 
awoke  ;  asked  her  if  she  could  bear  the  ordeal,  and  if 
she  thought  she  could,  whether  she  would  prefer  to  be 
alone  or  to  have  her  with  her. 

"I  am  strong  enough,"  was  the  answer,  "and  I 
would  rather  no  one  would  be  near." 

Then  Grace  led  her  to  the  door  and  said:  "Mar 
garet,  be  brave,  and  keep  in  thought  that  you  are 
going  to  restore  your  friend  to  health  ;  and  see,  this 
room  is  next  to  mine.  I  shall  be  waiting  there;  if  you 
need  me,  tap  softly  upon  the  partition  door."  Then 
she  opened  noiselessly  the  door,  kissed  her  friend, 
waited  until  she  passed  into  the  room,  closed  the 
door,  and  then  ran  to  her  husband,  climbed  upon  his 
knees,  embraced  and  kissed  him,  and  cried  with  joy. 

It  was  two  hours  before  any  sign  came  from  the 
adjoining  room.  Then  the  door  was  softly  opened  ; 
Mrs.  Hazleton  came  in  without  speaking,  grasped 
Sedgwick's  hand,  pointed  to  the  room  where  Jordan 
lay,  and  said  in  a  whisper  :  "  He  wants  you."  And 
as  Sedgwick  passed  from  the  apartment,  the  over 
wrought  woman  fell  upon  her  knees,  buried  her  face 
in  the  lap  of  Grace,  and  said  :  "  Dear  friend,  help  me 
to  thank  God." 


25O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

Later  Sedgwick  reported  that  as  he  approached  the 
bed,  Jordan  smiled,  and  in  a  feeble  voice  said  :  "Jim, 
old  friend,  I'ze  mighty  weak,  but  don't  mind  it ;  I 
shall  pull  through  easy  now.  But  if  I  don't,  I'll  be 
even  ;  ther  world's  been  thet  kind  ter  me  thet  I'll 
keep  thankin'  God  ter  all  eternity." 

Then  in  his  weakness  he  wept,  but  controlling  him 
self  at  last,  he  continued  :  "  I'ze  too  powerful  weak 
ter  make  much  noise,  but  if  yo'  think  a  loud  inverca- 
tion  is  heard  sooner  nor  a  weak  one,  thank  God  fur 
me  in  your  loudest  key." 

Sedgwick  took  up  his  watch  by  Jordan  for  the 
night.  He  slept  much  of  the  night,  and  smiles  stole 
over  his  face  as  he  slept,  but  he  was  awfully  prostrated 
with  weakness. 

After  that,  a  regular  order  was  prescribed.  Sedg 
wick  watched  at  night,  and  the  others  took  turns  by 
day. 

Three  nights  after  their  arrival,  the  fever  left  Jor 
dan.  The  doctor  had  anticipated  it,  and  had  told 
Sedgwick  he  would  remain  with  him.  The  fever  left 
him  so  utterly  prostrated  that  it  was  all  the  doctor 
and  Sedgwick  could  do  to  keep  life  in  him  for  two  or 
three  hours.  But  the  faintness  finally  passed,  and  the 
patient  dropped  into  a  peaceful  sleep  ;  and  the  doctor, 
with  a  sigh  of  relief,  said:  "The  crisis  is  passed, 
Sedgwick.  He  is  going  to  pull  through." 

But  it  was  a  wearisome  rally.  It  was  several  days 
before  the  anxiety  was  over.  It  was  a  week  after  the 
coming  of  Sedgwick  before  Sedgwick  explained  to 
Browning  what  he  had  done  ;  how  Jordan  was  an  old 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  251 

gold  miner;  and  that  the  reason  he  had  not  told 
Browning  much  of  what  he  was  doing  was  because 
Jordan  was  the  one  to  test  the  ore,  and  was  anxious 
to  go ;  he,  Sedgwick,  thought  it  was  a  shame  to  sepa 
rate  Jack  and  Rose;  then  he  thought  also  if  Jack 
knew  he  had  gone  to  Africa  he  would  worry  over  it. 
Then  he  told  him  of  the  mill,  and  finally  that  he  had 
with  him  $100,000  in  bullion,  the  result  of  the  first 
month's  run  of  the  mill  ;  had  fixed  matters  so  that  the 
mill  would  be  running  right  along,  and  that  there  was 
ore  enough  in  the  stopes  to  insure  steady  crushing 
for  at  least  four  or  five  years  to  come. 

"And  what  now  ?"  asked  Jack. 

"  Now  your  work  must  come  in,"  said  Sedgwick. 
"  You  and  your  wife  must  go  to  England  as  soon  as 
Tom  is  a  little  better.  In  your  own  way,  make 
arrangements  to  have  announced,  so  that  Hamlin, 
Jenvie  and  Stetson  will  see  it,  that  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  movement  in  'The  Wedge  of  Gold';  have 
substantially  the  same  report,  only  differently  worded, 
as  that  contained  in  the  prospectus  which  you  were 
caught  on  ;  let  it  be  known  through  what  brokers  the 
stock  is  being  handled,  and  have  copies  of  the  reports 
in  their  hands,  only  fix  the  price  at  £i  per  share.  If 
the  old  men  please  to  buy,  let  them  have  some  of  the 
stock.  If  they  do  not,  we  will  try  to  make  them  sorry 
that  they  did  not  buy  when  they  could.  By  the  way, 
have  you  still  your  hand  on  Emanuel,  and  can  you 
depend  upon  him  ?" 

"  I  think  I  can,"  said  Jack. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Sedgwick,  "if  no  news  of  the 


252  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD 

mill  has  been  received  in  England,  and  the  conspira 
tors  think  you  are  merely  trying  to  unload  some  of 
your  stock  on  the  old  report,  may  be  if  they  can  be 
handled  right,  they  may  be  induced  to  sell  some  of 
the  stock  short.  If  they  can,  perhaps  we  can  get 
back  some  of  the  money  from  them." 

"I  understand,"  said  Jack,  "and  I  believe  I  can 
work  it." 

"  Especially  if,  when  I  get  to  England  with  the 
bullion,  we  can  call  a  meeting  and  declare  a  divi 
dend,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  I  see,"  said  Browning.  "  But,  old  boy,  I  wish  you 
had  let  me  help  you  work  this  thing  out.  I  do,  by 

Jyj 
ove. 

Just  then  Grace  and  Rose  came  out  on  the  veranda, 
where  the  old  friends  were  talking. 

Rose  bent  over  and  put  her  arms  around  Jack's 
neck,  and  said:  "Dear  old  Jack,  do  you  know  what 
day  this  is?" 

"  Why,  little  one?"  asked  Jack. 

"  O,  you  stupid!"  said  Rose. 

"  What  is  to-day?"  asked  Sedgwick. 

"Another  stupid!"  said  Rose.  "Two  beautiful 
and  accomplished  ladies  go  to  church  and  give  re 
spectability  to  two  of  the  wild  tribe  of  the  West,  by 
marrying  them,  and  they  forget  it  in  a  little  year." 

"It  was  this  day  year,  on  my  soul,"  said  Jack.  "It 
was,  by  Jove." 

"Come  here,  sweet,"  said  Sedgwick  to  Grace. 
Then  taking  her  in  his  arms  he  kissed  her,  and  said  : 
"  My  days  have  been  turned  into  nights  of  late,  else 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  253 

I  would  not  have  forgotten.  Are  you  glad  you  are 
married,  Grace  ? " 

"Very  glacl,"  Grace  whispered.      "  Are  you  glad?" 

"Very,"  said  Sedgwick,  "even  as  is  the  ransomed 
soul  when  the  symphonies  of  Summer  Land  first  give 
their  enchantment  to  the  spirit  ear." 

"  I  will  tell  you  why  I  forgot,  Rose,"  said  Jack. 
"  My  life  did  not  count  until  you  became  a  part  of 
myself.  I  am  really  but  a  year  old,  and  you  do  not 
chide  one-year-old  kids  for  being  forgetful." 

"What  glorified  prevaricators  these  men  are, 
Grace,  are  they  not?"  said  Rose. 

"O,  Rose!"  said  Grace.  "The  mission  of  woman 
is  to  suffer  and  be  devoted  in  her  suffering,  and  how 
could  we  carry  out  our  mission  if  all  men  were  good, 
and  had  good  memories,  and  did  not  run  away  to 
Africa  and  Venezuela  and  Australia,  and  come  home 
with  fevers,  and — and — ."  Then  she  kissed  Sedg 
wick,  and  jumping  up  caught  Rose  by  the  arm,  and 
said :  "  Let  us  punish  them  by  running  away  from 
them." 

As  they  walked  away  Sedgwick  watched  them,  and 
when  they  turned  a  corner  of  the  veranda,  said : 
"Jack,  would  you  give  the  year's  happiness  just 
past  for  all  the  gold  in  Africa  ?  " 

"No,  indeed,"  was  the  reply;  "but  you  had  the 
strength  to  leave  your  bride  on  your  marriage  day  for 
a  chance  of  gaining  a  little  of  that  gold." 

"O,  no,  old  friend,"  said  Sedgwick  "We  had 
enough  money  left,  but  there  was  a  principle  at 
stake.  I  went  to  vindicate  that  principle  if  I  could." 


254  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  Pardon  me,  Jim,"  said  Jack.  "  But  you  were 
stronger  than  I  could  have  been.  I  could  not  have 
left  my  1}ride  then.  I  had  waited  so  long,  that  to 
have  parted  then  would  have  broken  her  heart  and 
would  have  destroyed  me." 

"I  realized  all  that,  Jack,"  said  his  friend;  "so 
did  Grace,  and  we  both  sympathized  with  you  both, 
and  decided  that  the  cup  of  bitterness  must  be  turned 
from  you." 

"  Of  course,"  said  Jack.  "  What  you  did  was  jolly 
grand  ;  what  you  have  done  has  been  so  splendid  that 
I  cannot  express  my  thoughts  of  it  yet ;  I  can't,  by 
Jove  !  And  Gracie'spart  through  all  has  been  superb. 
I  think,  too,  your  sick  friend  has  been  pure  gold 
through  it  all." 

"  Pure  diamonds  rather,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  O 
Jack,  you  do  not  half  comprehend  the  grandeur  of 
that  sterling  man.  When  his  heart  was  slowly  shriv 
eling  up  in  his  breast,  he  forgot  himself  and  his  sor 
row  to  cheer  me,  and  when  it  was  necessary  to  go  for 
the  machinery,  he  insisted  that  I  should  go,  and  he, 
of  his  own  accord,  went  back  to  the  depths  of  that 
South  Land  wilderness  and  worked  uncomplainingly 
for  months.  No  grander  man  ever  lived." 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

SELLING    STOCK    SHORT. 

After  a  few  days  more  Jack  and  Rose  returned  to 
England. 

Soon  after  their  return,  one  of  the  morning  papers 
had  an  announcement  that  the  banking  house  of 
Campbell  &  Co.  (Limited),  No. street,  was  pro 
moting  the  "  Wedge  of  Gold,"  a  mining  property  in 
Southern  Africa,  near  the  border  of  the  Transvaal, 
which  was  believed  to  be  a  most  promising  property. 

The  same  day  Emanuel  dropped  into  the  house  of 
Jenvie,  Hamlin  &  Stetson.  He  was  seedy-looking, 
and  seemed  a  good  deal  run  down  both  in  purse  and 
spirits. 

"What  do  you  think  of  the 'Wedge  of  Gold' 
announcement  ?  "  asked  Jenvie. 

"  What  is  it  ?"  asked  Emanuel.  He  was  shown  the 
paper. 

"  What  do  I  think  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  think  may  be  the 
young  man  needs  a  little  money.  The  mails  came  in 
from  Port  Natal  yesterday.  Is  there  any  news  from 
the  mine  ?" 

"  None  at  all  that  we  can  find,"  said  Jenvie. 

"  I  have  no  idea,"  said  the  Portugese,  "  but  if  it  is 
more  than  three  shillings  per  share,  it  is  one  good 
chance  for  a  bear  to  sell  it  short  and  hug  himself  for 
his  own  act." 

With  this  he  went  out.  The  three  men  were  silent 

255 


256  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

for  a  good  five  minutes.  Then  Jenvie  rang  the  bell, 
and  when  it  was  answered  he  said  to  the  messenger : 
"  Go  to  Campbell  &  Co.'s ;  find  out  the  price  of 
'  Wedge  of  Gold '  stock,  and  ask  what  data  the  house 
has  from  the  property." 

The  clerk  returned  in  half  an  hour,  and  reported 
that  it  was  held  at  £i,  and  he  produced  a  statement 
of  the  property. 

This  was  eagerly  run  over  by  the  three.  "Why," 
said  Jenvie,  as  he  completed  reading  it,  "this  is  but  a 
rehash  of  the  statement  of  a  year  ago  ;  the  same 
depth  is  given,  all  the  details  just  as  they  were.  Jack 
must  be  making  a  desperate  play  for  money." 

"  One  pound  per  share  !  "  said  Hamlin.  "  Why,  the 
man  must  be  after  some  other  Nevada  miner  who  has 
more  money  than  judgment." 

"The 'Wedge  of  Gold'  was  our  good  fortune," 
said  Stetson.  "  Through  it  we  got  a  real  start.  We 
made  a  good  bit  out  of  it,  which  we  have  since 
doubled.  Let  us  try  another  venture  in  the  stock." 

"What !  Buy  it  at  £i  per  share?"  asked  Hamlin. 

"  No,  no,"  said  Jenvie.  "  Let  us  sell  20,000  shares 
to  be  delivered  in  three  months  at  ten  shillings.  We 
can  send  Emanuel  and  get  it  at  four  or  five  shillings." 

After  weighing  the  matter  in  every  way  they 
decided  to  increase  the  amount  and  sell  30,000 
shares. 

The  offer  was  taken,  the  money  paid,  and  the  con 
tract  to  deliver  the  30,000  shares  in  three  months  was 
signed  by  Jenvie,  Hamlin  &  Co.  Then  each,  unknown 
to  the  other,  sold  10,000  shares  more  short. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  257 

The  fact  was  wired  to  Sedgwick  at  once.  He  showed 
Grace  the  dispatch  and  said  :  "  My  enchantress,  that 
will  leave  your  mother's  husband  and  Rose's  mother's 
husband  bankrupt  if  we  wish  it ;  what  shall  we  do?" 

"  How  will  it  do  so  ?  "  asked  Grace. 

"In  three  months  that  stock  will  be  worth  ^5  per 
share,"  said  Sedgwick.  "See  what  it  will  require  to 
produce  60,000  shares  to  fulfill  their  contract." 

"What  did  they  obtain  from  Jack?"  asked  Grace. 

"Almost  ,£90,000,"  said  Sedgwick. 

"  Well,"  said  Grace,  "  I  know  very  little  of  business, 
but  it  seems  to  me  if  they  would  make  that  good  with 
the  year's  interest,  it  would  be  about  right,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  a  family  matter." 

"You  little  bunch  of  wisdom  and  justice!"  said 
Sedgwick.  "To  make  them  do  just  that  thing  was 
what  I  started  to  Africa  for." 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

CONVALESCENT. 

The  "  Pallas  "  had  been  in  port  twenty  days  before 
Jordan  began  to  sit  up,  a  few  minutes  at  a  time.  He 
was  still  very  weak,  but  his  face  was  transfigured  by 
an  almost  divine  light.  It  was  reflected  radiance  from 
the  eyes  of  Margaret  Hazleton. 

The  doctor  had  thrown  away  his  medicine,  telling 
Jordan  that  all  he  needed  was  good  nursing  and  as 
much  food  as  his  stomach  could  assimilate. 

It  was  a  happy  little  company.  Jordan  and  Mrs. 
Hazleton,  Sedgwick  and  his  wife,  the  doctor  and  Cap 
tain  McGregor — for  the  ship  had  been  left  with  the 
first  officer,  and  the  captain  had  turned  nurse  to 
relieve  Sedgwick. 

A  week  later  Jordan  could  sit  up  most  of  the  day, 
and  Captain  McGregor  had  begun  to  absent  himself 
two  or  three  hours  every  afternoon.  About  this  time 
Browning's  dispatch  was  received. 

Sedgwick  was  needed  in  London.  What  was  best 
to  do? 

He  prepared  a  statement  of  the  mine,  signed  it  and 
got  Jordan  to  sign  it,  and  he  shipped  the  bullion  to  a 
well-known  Paris  banking  house. 

Nothing  held  him  back  except  Jordan's  illness.  He 
was  growing  anxious,  and  his  wife,  who  watched  his 
every  mood,  quickly  discovered  it.  So  soon  as  she 

258 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  .  259 

did,  she  went  to  him,  put  an  arm  around  one  of  his, 
and  said. 

"  What  is  it,  love  ?  What  is  it  that  is  troubling 
you  ? " 

He  explained  that  he  ought  to  be  in  London,  but 
Jordan  was  yet  too  weak  to  travel,  and  he  could  not 
leave  him — not  for  twenty  mines. 

Grace  thought  the  matter  over  for  two  or  three 
minutes,  and  then  said  cheerfully: 

"  I  have  it,  husband!  We  will  get  a  nurse  for  the 
dear  man.  I  will  remain,  and  Margaret  and  myself 
and  the  nurse  can  see  to  him,  and  will  follow  you 
when  he  can  travel." 

Sedgwick  looked  at  her  fondly  for  a  moment,  and 
then  said  : 

"You  are  a  great  little  woman,  sure  enough  ;  but 
you  are  such  a  one  that  I  would  rather  remain  than 
go  without  you." 

She  put  her  hands  upon  his  lips,  and  said  : 

"  Duty,  love.  Hist,  we  must  always  be  brave  and 
self-forgetful  enough  to  do  our  duty.  I  am  going 
now  to  see  Margaret."  She  walked  a  few  steps,  then 
turned  back  and  said  : 

"  Why  would  it  not  be  the  right  thing  for  Mr. 
Jordan  and  Margaret  to  be  married  before  you  leave?" 

"I  believe  it  would,"  said  Sedgwick,  "only  that  I 
have  planned  that  we  would  give  them  a  great  wed 
ding  in  London." 

"So  had  I,"  said  Grace,  "and  we  will." 

Just  as  they  were  talking,  Captain  McGregor  came 
from  the  direction  of  the  harbor. 


260  .  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  I  have  news  for  you,"  he  said.  "  I  have  sold  the 
'  Pallas.'  She  will  sail  to-morrow,  and  now  I  pro 
pose  to  remain  with  you,  and  go  with  you  to  London 
when  you  go." 

"  You  have  sold  the  dear  ship  ? "  said  Sedgwick. 
"And  what  of  the  doctor  and  the  crew?" 

"  They  will  sail  in  her.  The  doctor  will  be  up  to 
make  his  adieus  to-night.  They  wanted  to  charter 
the  craft  for  a  long  voyage.  I  would  not  go,  but 
offered  to  sell,  and  they  bought,  and  re-engaged  the 
officers,  the  surgeon  and  the  crew." 

"  Let  us  go  on  board,"  said  Sedgwick.  "  I  want  to 
bid  those  good  men  good-bye." 

"So  do  I,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  will  be  grateful 
if  you  will  go  with  me." 

"  Wait  a  moment  until  I  run  down  to  the  bank," 
said  Sedgwick.  "  While  I  am  gone,  Grace,  get  your 
hat  and  wrap  ;  and  by  the  way,  captain,  how  many 
men  and  officers  are  there?" 

The  captain  replied  :  "  Six  officers,  the  surgeon 
and  steward,  three  waiters,  twelve  seamen  and  sixteen 
men  in  the  firing  department." 

The  company  soon  set  out,  and  went  on  board  the 
"Pallas." 

All  hands  were  called  on  deck.  Captain  McGregor 
made  them  a  little  speech  ;  told  them  that  his  chief 
regret  in  giving  up  the  ship  was  in  parting  with  them, 
and  wished  them  all  happiness  and  prosperity.  They 
^gave  him  three  cheers,  and  all  shook  hands  with  him, 
wishing  him  long  life  and  asking  God's  blessing  for 
him. 


I  HE    WKIX1K    OF    C.OLD.  26 1 

Then  Sedgwick  stepped  forward,  and  said: 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIENDS: — That  I  was  able  to  bring  one 
whom  I  love  better  than  a  brother  to  where  he  could 
find  the  strength  to  get  well,  I  owe  to  you.  He  is 
yet  too  weak  to  be  moved,  or  he  would  be  here  by  my 
side  to  thank  you.  I  was  much  absorbed  on  the  voy 
age,  but  I  saw  how  you,  officers  and  seamen,  worked 
to  take  advantage  of  every  puff  of  wind  and  every 
current  of  the  sea.  I  know  how  you  others  were 
working  in  the  hell  of  the  fire-room,  and  I  shall  be 
grateful  to  you  as  long  as  I  live.  I  wish  you  all 
health,  happiness  and  prosperity  in  the  future. 

You,  with  your  grand  captain,  carried  the  machin 
ery  to  Africa,  which  has  made  me  a  good  deal  of  money. 
You  brought  home  my  friend  when  he  was  making  an 
unequal  fight  for  life.  I  want  each  of  you  to  have  a 
little  souvenir  of  my  gratitude." 

With  that  he  undid  a  package  which  he  had  been 
holding  in  his  hand.  It  contained  a  bunch  of  envel 
opes.  He  handed  one  to  each  of  the  officers  and 
men. 

Those  for  the  mates  and  engineers  each  contained 
bank  notes  of  the  value  of  ,£200.  Those  of  the  men 
each  contained  ^50.  The  doctor's  contained  ,£1,000. 

The  men  whispered  eagerly  among  themselves  for 
a  moment  ;  then  the  third  mate  said  : 

"  Mr.  Sedgwick,  the  lads  want  me  to  ask  you  how 
they  can  best  thank  you.  They  are  not  much  talkers, 
and  this  gift  of  yours  has  about  beached  their 
tongues." 

Sedewick  smiled  and  said  :  "  No  thanks  are  needed, 


262  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

but  I  want  to  tell  you  that  this  is  all  due  to  the 
dearest  woman  in  the  world,"  putting  his  arm 
around  Grace.  "  If  you  will  each  come  and  shake 
the  hand  of  my  wife,  all  the  gratitude  you  feel  will 
be  receipted  for." 

They  joyfully  responded,  and  one  old  tar,  more 
bold  than  the  rest,  said,  as  he  took  the  fair  little  hand 
of  Grace  in  the  grasp  of  his  own  knotted  hand : 
"Your  mon  is  a  mighty  poor  hand  to  save  money, 
but  he'll  be  richer  nor  Rothschild  as  long  as  you  are 
spared  to  him." 

They  gave  their  old  captain  and  his  friend  three 
cheers  as  they  passed  over  the  ship's  side,  and 
McGregor  wiped  his  eyes  all  the  way  back  to  the 
hotel. 

Grace  went  at  once  to  the  sick-room.  Jordan  was 
half  reclining  in  an  easy-chair.  Margaret  was  sitting 
where  he  could  see  her,  and  was  evidently  reading  to 
him,  when  Grace  entered. 

Jordan  spoke:  "  Take  a  cheer,  madam.  Maggie 
wur  readin'  'nd  it's  mighty  comfortin'.  It's  like  sip 
ping  old  wine  and  hearin'  music  in  thar  next  room 
same  time." 

"  Don't   you    mind    him,    Grace,"    said    Margaret. 
"  He  is  still  very  weak,  and  all  that  he  says  is  not  as 
deep  as  it  might  be."     But  she  smiled  fondly 
him  while  she  spoke. 

"  Don't  yo'  b'leve  her,  Mrs.  Sedgwick,"  said  Jordan. 
"  We  all  has  weak  spots  in  our  hearts  ;  she's  mine." 

Grace  put  one  hand  on  Jordan's  hand,  the  other  on 
Margaret's  cheek,  and  said  : 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  263 

"  Say  all  the  pretty  things  of  her  that  you  please, 
Mr.  Jordan,  and  do  not  mind  her,  for  her  heart  has 
been  starving  for  those  same  words  from  your  lips  for 
a  long  time." 

Margaret  was  silent,  but  she  smiled;  and  a  great 
flush  swept  over  her  face  as  she  smiled. 

"  Everything  war  right,  after  all,"  said  Jordan. 
"  Hed  I  not  lost  her,  I  mighter  grown  careless  o'  her 
like  other  men  do  sometimes  uv  those  they  luv,  but 
no  matter,  we  has  a  understandin'." 

And  again  the  happy  woman  smiled   and  blushed. 

Then  Grace  explained  how  much  her  husband  was 
needed  in  England;  that  she  had  determined  to 
remain  until  Mr.  Jordan  could  travel,  and  let  her  hus 
band  go ;  that  Captain  McGregor  had  sold  the 
"  Pallas,"  and  she  thought  she  would  remain  with 
them,  and  asked  Jordan  if  he  thought  they,  with  a 
nurse,  could  take  care  of  him. 

Before  he  could  answer,  Mrs.  Hazleton  interposed 
and  said: 

"All  this  sickness  and  sorrow  came  through  me. 
Henceforth  my  life  is  to  be  devoted  to  where  it  can 
do  most  good.  We  do  not  want  any  display.  Why 
can  we  not  be  married?  Then  I  will  be  his  nurse, 
and  he  will  need  no  other.  You  can  go  with  your 
husband,  and  we  will  come  when  Tom  is  stronger. 
What  say  you,  love?" 

"Do  not  answer,  Mr.  Jordan,"  said  Grace.  "We 
have  fixed  it  for  you  to  be  married  where  husband 
and  myself — where  Jack  and  Rose — were  married.  We 
will  remain  until  you  can  travel." 


264  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  I'd  be  mighty  glad  ter  call  yo'  'wife'  now,  Maggie," 
said  Jordan;  "  but  I  don't  reckon  it's  squar  for  a  man 
ter  take  advantage  of  his  nuss."  Then  turning  to 
Mrs.  Sedgwick,  he  continued:  "Tell  Jim  I'll  be  ready 
ter  leave  ter-morrer  evenin'." 

So  next  day  they  started  by  easy  stages  for  Lon 
don.  Sedgwick  engaged  a  special  car  to  be  stopped 
off  at  any  point  he  might  desire.  They  rested  a  day 
in  Milan,  another  in  Paris,  and  there  Sedgwick 
arranged  to  have  the  bullion  that  might  come  from  the 
'Wedge  of  Gold'  at  all  times  at  his  immediate  dis 
posal.  They  reached  London  in  six  days;  Jordan  had 
gained  so  much  that  he  walked  to  the  carriage  from 
the  Dover  depot,  and  with  Sedgwick's  and  McGre 
gor's  support,  walked  up  the  steps  of  Sedgwick's  house. 

Rose  had  dinner  waiting  for  them,  and  at  dinner 
expressed  the  sentiments  of  all  by  saying:  "I  believe 
this  is  just  now  the  happiest  house  in  all  England." 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

SPRINGING  A  TRAP. 

Sedgwick  found  waiting  for  him  advices  from  the 
mine,  all  of  which  were  favorable  and  the  output  for 
another  month,  less  the  expenses  of  mining  and 
milling,  which  amounted  in  the  aggregate  to  some 
thing  over  $90,000,  had  been  forwarded  to  the  Bank 
of  France. 

The  Wedge  of  Gold  Mining  Company  was  re 
organized.  Browning  was  made  president;  Sedgwick, 
treasurer;  McGregor,  secretary;  and  all  three,  with 
Jordan,  directors.  A  regular  dividend  of  two  shil 
lings  per  share,  and  a  special  dividend  of  as  much 
more  was  declared,  aggregating  in  all  ,£30,000.  This 
was  given  to  the  Times  for  publication,  and  attached 
to  it  was  the  following  note: 

"The  reporter  of  the  Times  was  able  to  obtain  the 
following  particulars  of  this  wonderful  property  from 
the  secretary: 

" '  A  forty-stamp  mill  has  been  in  operation  on  the 
property  since  June  last.  The  mill  yielded  in  June, 
above  expenses,  ,£17,000  and  15  shillings;  in  July, 
£"18,000  and  5  shillings.  The  ore  already  developed 
above  the  tunnel  level  is  sufficient  to  insure  the  run 
ning  of  the  present  works  to  their  full  capacity  for 
five  years  to  come.  The  ore  on  the  tunnel  level  is 
equal  to  any  in  the  mine,  and  the  ore  chute  has  been 

demonstrated  by  exploration  on  the  tunnel  level  to  be 

265 


266  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

at  least  630  feet  in  length,  with  an  average  width  of 
1 6  feet.  The  tunnel  cuts  the  mine  at  a  depth  of 
500  feet.  The  office  of  the  company  in  London  is 

No.   ,  —  Street.       The   officers   are    John 

Browning,  president;  James  Sedgwick,  treasurer; 
Hugh  McGregor,  secretary;  and  these,  with  Thomas 
Jordan,  make  up  the  directory  of  the  company.'  ' 

When,  next  morning,  Jenvie,  Hamlin  and  Stetson 
read  the  above  in  the  Times,  they  were  filled  with 
consternation. 

"  I  feared  that  man  Sedgwick  from  the  first,"  said 
Jenvie.  "  Our  first  account  of  him,  that  '  he  must  be 
a  prize-fighter/  was  true.  He  has  knocked  us  out, 
and  he  has  made  no  more  noise  about  it  than  does  a 
bull-dog  when  he  takes  a  pig  by  the  ear." 

"  What  are  we  to  do  ?  "  asked  Hamlin. 

"  We  must  take  in  enough  stock  to  cover  our  short 
age  at  once,"  said  Jenvie,  "  even  if  we  have  to  pay 
£1  per  share  for  it." 

So  a  messenger  was  sent  to  the  office  of  the  broker 
through  which  the  stock  had  been  shorted,  to  buy  at 
any  price  up  to  £i. 

He  returned  with  the  information  that  the  stock 
could  be  had,  but  the  price  was  £6  per  share. 

Then  the  three  men  realized  for  the  first  time  the 
trap  which  had  been  set  for  them,  and  how  fatal  had 
been  its  spring.  The  messenger  was  at  once  sent  out 
again,  this  time  to  the  office  of  the  company.  He 

found  the  secretary,  who  referred  him  to  the 

Bank,  from  which   the   dividends   were   to  be   paid. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  267 

There  he  found  stock  for  sale,  but  the  price  demanded 
was  £6  per  share. 

He  returned  home  and  made  his  report.  The  three 
men  gazed  at  each  other  with  blank  looks  of  despair. 

"  Thirty  thousand  shares  at  £6  will  take  all  we 
have,"  said  Hamlin. 

"  And  I  shorted  10,000  shares  besides,"  said  Jenvie. 

"So  did  I, "said  Hamlin. 

"So  did  I,"  said  Stetson. 

"  It  seems  clear  enough  that  we  are  absolutely 
ruined,"  said  Hamlin. 

"  I  wonder  what  has  become  of  that  Portuguese, 
Emanuel,"  said  Hamlin. 

At  that  moment  he  entered  the  office.  He  looked 
like  the  picture  of  despair.  He  broke  out  with  :  "  It 
is  awful  !  I  have  just  heard  ze  truth.  It  was  that 
American  who  did  it.  When  you  thought  last  year 
that  he  had  gone  to  America,  he,  with  another 
American,  had  gone  to  Africa. 

"  They  found  ze  mine.  They  found  a  way  out  from 
it  by  going  in  the  opposite  direction  from  which  they 
came.  Sedgwick  went  by  Australia  to  San  Francisco, 
and  ordered  a  forty-stamp  mill.  The  other  American 
remained,  and  opened  the  mine  by  a  tunnel.  Sedg 
wick  came  back  this  way,  and,  left  here  to  meet  the 
mill  at  Port  Natal. 

"  It  has  been  running  three  months.  Two  months' 
proceeds  are  here,  and  pay  dividends  of  four  shillings, 
and  it  is  good  for  two  shillings  per  month  for  years  ; 
with  machinery  doubled,  good  for  four  shillings  per 
month  for  years  to  come.  The  stock  has  gone  to  £6  ; 


268  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

it  will  go  to  /"TO  so  soon  as  it  is  well  understood. 
And  I  lost  it  all,  because  I  had  not  the  sense  to  find 
that  way  out  from  ze  mine.  The  road  by  the  trail 
would  have  cost  ,£75,000  or  ,£100,000,  and  I  believed 
only  impassable  mountains  were  to  ze  west." 

"  How  did  you  find  all  this  out  ?  "  asked  Jenvie. 

"  From  ze  Secretary,  McGregor.  He  was  master 
of  ze  ship  that  carried  the  machinery  from  San  Fran 
cisco,  and  he  brought  ze  Americans  from  Port  Natal. 
One  was  very  sick  with  the  fever,  and  came  near 
dying.  He  had,  besides,  one  wound  which  he  received 
with  ze  Boers  coming  out  to  the  coast  from  the  mine. 
They  are  two  devils.  Ten  or  a  dozen  Boers  attacked 
them  to  get  the  first  month's  bullion,  and  they  two 
killed  five  of  them,  and  drove  ze  rest  away." 

"I  wish  the  Boers  had  killed  them  both,"  said 
Jenvie. 

"They  are  hard  men  to  kill,"  said  Emanuel.  "Mc 
Gregor  says,  when  ashore  one  day  at  D'Umber,  there 
was  a  chicken-shooting  match.  The  chickens  were 
buried  in  the  ground  all  but  their  heads,  and  the  people 
were  shooting  at  ten  paces  when  these  men  passed. 
They  asked  about  it,  and  asked  if  they  might  shoot 
with  their  own  pistols;  and  when  permission  was  given, 
they  drew  their  weapons  and  killed  six  chickens  each 
in  a  minute,  and  were  laughing  all  the  time  as  though 
it  were  nothing.  They  are  devils,  shure  enough." 

"Do  you  think  Browning  knew  all  about  this  from 
the  first?"  asked  Hamlin. 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Emanuel.  "  No  one  in  London 
knew  where  the  Americans  had  gone,  except  his  wife. 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  269 

Browning  thought  he  had  gone  back  to  America. 
His  wife  knew.  She  got  a  dispatch  from  Australia, 
and  letters  from  Port  Natal  ze  same  day,  saying  he 
was  going  to  San  Francisco  to  order  machinery,  and 
would  return  this  way  and  be  with  her  in  four  months, 
and  then  she  left  at  once  and  beat  him  a  week  into 
San  Francisco. 

"  And  I  am  ruined.  My  little  stock  is  all  gone.  A 
mine  worth  ,£2,000,000  I  sold  for  ,£2,000."  And  he 
went  out. 

"What  can  we  do?"  asked  Jenvie.  "I  expect  a 
notice  every  moment  to  call  at  the  broker's  and  settle." 

"Can  we  not  assign  our  property?  "  asked  Hamlin, 

"We  could,"  said  Jenvie,  "but  to-morrow  we  should 
all  be  looking  through  the  bars  of  a  prison." 

"And  even  Grace  was  in  the  conspiracy  to  rob  us," 
said  Hamlin,  in  an  injured  tone. 

"She  is  a  brave,  true  woman,  I  think,"  said  Jenvie, 
"and  as  it  looks  to  me,  she  is  the  only  one  to  whom 
we  can  now  appeal." 

"May  be  so,"  said  Hamlin.  "Her  husband  wor 
ships  her,  I  am  told." 

"  Suppose  we  go  to  your  house  and  persuade  your 
wife  to  go  and  bring  her  home  where  we  can  see 
her,"  said  Jenvie. 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  with  heavy  hearts  the 
three  men  entered  a  carriage  and  were  driven  to  the 
Hamlin  house. 

As  they  went  up  the  steps,  Grace  Sedgwick  herself 
opened  the  door.  She  had  been  to  see  her  mother, 
and  was  just  going  out. 


2/O  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

"  Come  back,  Grace,"  said  her  stepfather;  "  we 
wish  to  see  you  particularly." 

She  returned  with  them,  and  her  stepfather  told 
her  how  they  were  involved — in  what  danger  they 
were,  not  only  of  absolute  ruin,  but  of  a  criminal 
prosecution,  and  begged  her  to  see  her  husband  and 
intercede  with  him. 

"  My  husband  needs  no  entreaties  to  do  what  is 
right,"  said  Grace.  "  Suppose  the  case  were  reversed, 
what  would  you  grant  my  husband?" 

They  all  hung  their  heads.  Grace  looked  at  them 
and  continued:  "You  robbed  dear,  confiding  Jack 
of  his  fortune,  which  he  had  honestly  acquired.  You 
robbed  him  for  the  double  purpose  of  making  him  a 
beggar,  and  of  breaking  his  heart,  though  one  of  you 
was  his  stepfather,  another  the  stepfather  of  the 
woman  he  loved  better  than  his  own  life.  It  was 
that  which  set  Jack's  nearest  friend  to  be  your  Neme 
sis.  Our  troth  had  just  been  plighted.  It  was  like 
death  to  part  us,  but  he  who  is  my  husband  said  to 
me  :  '  There  must  be  no  scandal,  if  we  can  help  it, 
but  this  wrong  must  be  righted.  I  must  go  to  Africa, 
and  if  I  can  work  out  the  dear  boy's  deliverance,  it 
must  be  done.'  And  I  consented  to  it.  He  moved 
secretly,  but  with  the  force  and  energy  of  his  nature. 
He  and  the  friend  who  went  with  him  have  performed 
a  great  work.  They  have  taken  what  was  unloaded 
upon  Jack  as  worthless,  and  converted  it  into  some 
thing  richer  than  a  little  kingdom.  It  seems,  too, 
that  in  the  blindness  of  your  avarice,  you  dared  fate 
itself  to  make  more  money  out  of  that  wreck,  and 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  2?I 

now  you  are  in  the  toils.  Suppose  my  husband  had 
done  by  you  as  you  have  dealt  with  Jack,  and  you 
had  him  where  you  now  are,  what  mercy  would  you 
show  him  ? " 

They  were  silent.  They  had  not  even  self-respect 
to  sustain  them. 

Grace  waited  a  moment,  and  then  went  on  :  "  But 
he  is  of  different  material.  There  is  no  malice  in  his 
nature.  He  cares  nothing  for  the  triumph  which 
comes  through  revenge. 

"  He  knew  when  you  dared  to  sell  that  stock  short, 
told  me  of  it,  and  asked  what  would  be  right.  I  replied 
that  I  thought  if  you  would  restore  to  Jack  what  he 
had  been  robbed  of,  with  interest  on  the  money  to 
date,  it  would  be  fair ;  and  his  answer  was  that  to 
compel  you  to  do  that  very  thing  was  what  caused 
him  to  leave  me  and  go  to  Africa. 

''In  that  you  can  get  an  idea  of  him.  He  had 
money  enough  for  himself  and  Jack  both  ;  he  had 
no  desire  for  revenge,  but  he  was  determined  that 
you  should  be  made  to  do  justice  to  his  friend,  whom 
you  had  so  greatly  wronged,  and  that,  if  possible,  it 
should  be  done  without  any  noise," 

11  Do  you  think  he  would  settle  that  way?"  asked 
Jenvie. 

'*  He  has  no  settlement  to  make,"  said  Grace;  "  but 
I  think  he  would  recommend  Jack  to  settle  that  way." 

"  And  where  could   we   meet  Jack?"  asked  Jenvie. 

"  {  do  not  know,"  said  Grace,  "  nor  is  it  necessary. 
I  think  the  broker  with  whom  you  dealt  in  the  stocks 
has  authority  to  settle.  That  was  a  little  trap  set  for 


272  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

you.  There  is  not  a  share  of  the  stock  that  is  not  in 
the  company's  office  at  this  moment." 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  rob  Jack,"  said  Hamlin.  "  I 
wanted  to  break  his  engagement  with  Rose,  hoping 
he  would  turn  to  you." 

"  We  all  understood  that  from  the  first,"  said  Grace, 
"  but  we  had  made  entirely  different  arrangements — 
arrangements  worth  two  of  that — which  suited  us  all 
around."  And  bowing,  the.  young  wife  left  the  room. 

The  three  men  found,  upon  visiting  the  broker, 
that  he  had  received  orders  to  settle  with  them  on 
the  terms  outlined  by  Grace,  and  they  complied  by 
turning  over  what  money  they  had  and  some  outside 
property. 

It  left  them  with  fair  fortunes.  But  the  story  got 
out  through  Emanuel ;  their  prestige  was  broken,  and 
they  closed  up  their  business  within  a  few  days,  and 
disappeared  from  the  business  walks  of  London. 
Two  months  later  Jenvie  died  in  a  moment  of  apo 
plexy  ;  the  succeeding  autumn  Hamlin  succumbed  to 
typhoid  fever,  and  Stetson  sailed  away  to  lose  himself 
in  the  depths  of  Australia. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

GRAND    OPERA. 

Jordan  improved  rapidly,  and  soon  began  to  take 
long  drives  to  different  points  of  interest.  After  a 
month  it  was  one  evening  proposed  that  they  should 
all  attend  the  theater.  It  was  agreed  to,  and  it  was 
left  to  Jordan  to  decide  where  to  go.  Queerly 
enough,  he  selected  a  theater  where  the  opera  of 
"Tannhauser"  was  to  be  performed. 

"Did  you  ever  attend  a  grand  opera  performance, 
Tom  ?"  asked  Sedgwick. 

"  No,"  was  the  response.  "Thet's  ther  reason  I 
wanter  go." 

He  seemed  greatly  absorbed  throughout  the  per 
formance.  The  opera  was  put  on  with  every  splendor 
possible,  and  the  strange  man  sat  almost  motionless 
through  the  mighty  rendition,  and  was  unusually 
silent  all  the  way  home. 

Arriving  there,  Grace  said  :  "  Mr.  Jordan,  give  us 
your  idea  of  the  opera." 

"  I  reckon  yo'  might  laugh  at  me  ef  I  should,"  said 
Jordan. 

"  No,  we  will  not,"  said  Grace ;  "for  when  it  comes 
to  that,  we  are  none  of  us  quite  up  to  the  comprehen 
sion  of  the  mystery  of  a  grand  opera — at  least,  none 
but  Margaret." 

"  Well,"  said  Jordan,  "  mystery  are  a  good  word  ter 
use  than  If  yo'  jest  occerpy  yo'r  eyes  and  ears,  yo' 


273 


274  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

hear  mostly  only  a  ocean  roar  uv  singin',  a  brayin'  uv 
trumpets,  a  clashin'  uv  cymbals,  a  beatin'  uv  drums, 
with  ther  soft  strains  uv  viols,  harps  'nd  flutes,  and 
not  much  music.  Ef  yo'  set  yo'r  mind  workin'  ter 
foller  ther  myths  outer  which  ther  story  of  the  opera 
war  made,  then  ther  tones  become  voices,  'nd  ther 
music  only  tells  er  story.  But  ef  yo'  give  yo'r  soul  a 
chance,  then  it's  different.  Ther  music  assumes  forms 
of  its  own  ;  it  materializes,  as  Jim  would  say,  and  each 
man  as  listens  understands  in  his  own  way  its  lan 
guage.  It  brings  ter  ther  human  ear  the  tones  uv 
ther  ocean  when  it  sobs  agin  ther  sands ;  it  steals  ther 
echo  of  the  melodies  thet  the  winds  wakes  when  they 
touches  ther  arms  uv  ther  great  pines  on  ther  moun 
tain  tops  and  makes  'em  ther  harps  ;  it  steals  ther 
babble  from  the  brooks  ;  it  calls  back  all  ther  voices 
of  the  woods  when  within  'em  ther  matin'  birds  is  all 
singin'  in  chorus ;  it  borrers  ther  thunder  from  ther 
storm ;  it  sarches  ther  whole  world  for  melodies,  'nd 
blends  'em  all  for  our  use. 

"Still,  they  all  ter-night  war,  ter  me,  only  compni- 
ments.  Underneath  all  wur  a  symphony  which  wur 
thet  of  a  higher  soul  singin'  ter  my  soul — may  be 
'twere  my  mother's  singin'  ter  my  soul  uv  glories  thet 
we  hasn't  yet  reached.  It  war  a  call  fur  men  ter  look 
higher  ter  whar  thar  is  melodies  too  solemn  'nd  sweet 
further  dull  ears  uv  poor  mortality  ter  hear,  ter  whar 
ez  picters  too  fair  fur  our  darkened  eyes  ter  see,  but 
which  all  august  is  a-waitin'  fur  us. 

o 

"  When  I  war  sick,  I  thot  one  night  I  hearn  Margery 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  275 

prayin'  fur  me;  some  uv  thet  music  ter-night  seemed 
like  a  rehearsal  uv  thet  prayer." 

"  Why,  Mr.  Jordan,  that  is  better  than  the  opera 
itself,"  said  Grace  ;  and  Margaret  bent  and  kissed  the 
brave  man's  hand,  while  he  blushed  like  a  girl,  and 
said,  "Sho'." 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MARRIAGE  BELLS. 

A  month  more  rolled  by,  and  Jordan  became  him 
self  again.  Grace  and  Rose  worked  together  to 
make  such  a  wedding  for  him  and  Margaret  as  should 
be  a  joy  in  their  memories  as  long  as  life  should  last. 

The  day  before  the  wedding,  so  soon  as  breakfast 
was  over,  Sedgwick  went  out,  telling  Grace  to  tell 
Jack  that  he  wanted  to  meet  him  and  Tom  at  the 
"  Wedge  of  Gold"  office  at  i  p.  m. 

Grace  went  to  deliver  the  message,  but  learned 
from  Rose  that  her  husband  had  gone  an  hour  be 
fore,  leaving  word  for  Sedgwick  and  Jordan  to  meet 
him  at  the  same  place  at  12:30  p.  m. 

They  all  met  there  at  about  the  appointed  time. 

A  meeting  of  the  directors  of  the  "  Wedge  of 
Gold  "  Company  was  called  to  order,  and  a  motion 
made  and  carried  that  another  dividend  of  two  shil 
lings  per  share  should  be  declared. 

Then  Sedgwick  arose  and  said  he  had  an  important 
matter  to  lay  before  the  company.  He  had  received 
an  offer  of  £j  per  share  for  the  property,  and  the 
proposition  had  been  guaranteed  by  the  Baring 
Brothers,  and  asked  Browning  what  he  thought  it 
best  to  do. 

Browning  thought  it  best  to  sell. 

"  Then,"  said  Sedgwick,  "  there  will  be  no  more 
work  for  us  except  to  resign  as  officers  of  the  com- 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  277 

pany,  our  resignations  to  take  place  with  the  transfer 
of  the  property." 

"There  is  yet  another  matter,"  said  Browning. 
"  How  is  the  division  of  the  proceeds  to  be  made?  " 

"  That  all  rests  with  you,  Jack,"  said  Sedgwick  ; 
"  only  I  think  you  should  pay  me  back  what  I  ad 
vanced  to  put  the  property  on  its  feet,  and  you  should 
keep  in  mind  that  this  was  made  a  success  by  our 
friend  Jordan." 

"  Not  to  any  great  extent,"  said  Jordan.  "I  war 
merely  a  hired  man  working  for  my  board  and 
clothes,  and  you  forget  thet  because  uv  it  I  made  a 
fortune  sich  ez  no  gold  could  buy.  Treat  me,  please, 
ez  tho'  I  war  already  wealthy,  exceedingly  wealthy ! " 

"  It  is  all  due  to  you  two,"  said  Jack.  "  When  the 
old  men  made  good  their  robbery,  I  was  even.  All 
the  rest  is  yours." 

And  they  wrangled  over  the  matter  for  a  full  hour. 

Then  McGregor  spoke.  "Let  me  help  you  out, 
my  friends.  You  are  offered  ,£1,050,000.  It  is 
enough  for  you  all.  Divide  it  into  three  parts,  and 
settle  that  way." 

Then  came  another  wrangle,  but  it  was  settled  on 
that  basis,  except  that  each  agreed  that  Captain  Mc 
Gregor  should  receive  fair  compensation  for  bringing 
Jordan  home,  and  they  estimated  that  to  be  worth 
;£ioo,ooo.  That,  Jordan  insisted  should  be  paid  out 
of  his  share,  and  it  took  an  hour  to  talk  him  out  of  it. 

Then  it  required  another  half  hour  for  the  three  to 
bulldoze  McGregor  into  accepting  it.  The  convino 


278  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

ing  argument  was  made  by  Jordan,  who  said:  "  Sup- 
posin'  you  hedn't  a-come,  whar  would  I  a-bin  now? 

McGregor  went  out,  and  then  Browning  said: 
''I  have  a  little  matter  to  speak  of.  I  sold  my 
Venezuela  mine  yesterday  for  ^100,000,"  and  so  say 
ing  he  took  a  memorandum  from  his  pocket,  opened 
it,  and  tossed  to  Sedgwick  and  Jordan  each  a  cer 
tificate  for  one-third  of  the  amount,  saying:  "I  feared 
the  way  you  were  behaving  you  would  spend  all 
your  money,  so  I  went  to  work  to  make  you  a  little 
stake,  as  the  boys  in  Nevada  say." 

Another  wrangle  then  ensued,  both  Sedgwick  and 
Jordan  declaring  that  they  had  had  nothing  in  the 
world  to  do  with  making  the  money;  but  Jack  was 
obstinate  and  carried  his  point. 

McGregor  returned,  and  all  went  to  Sedgwick's  to 
dinner.  About  the  time  the  coffee  was  brought,  a 
messenger  rang  at  the  door  and  left  a  package  for 
Mr.  Jordan.  It  was  brought  in,  and  then  Jordan 
said  : 

"  Friends,  in  Africa  I  found  a  prospector  ez  war 
broke.  I  give  him  a  little  outfit  ter  go  down  on  the 
Vaal.  He  came  back  after  a  while  and  divied  with 
me,  'nd  I  want  ter  divy  with  yo'." 

So  saying,  he  opened  the  package.  Exclamations 
of  surprise  arose  on  all  sides.  Before  their  eyes  was 
a  great  heap  of  diamonds.  "I  war  thinkin',"  said 
Jordan,  "thet  inasmuch  ez  thar  war  seven  uv  us,  ther 
right  thing  ter  do  would  be  ter  make  seven  heaps 
of  ther  stones,"  and  the  only  change  they  could 
make  in  his  plans  was  that  the  division  should  be 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  279 

made  by  one  who  knew  their  value.  He  had  secretly 
had  them  cut  since  coming  to  London.  They  were 
really  worth  ,£10,000. 

Next  day  the  wedding  of  Jordan  and  Mrs.  Hazleton 
was  celebrated  with  all  the  pomp  which  Grace  and 
Rose  could  give  it.  It  was  followed  by  a  great  feast, 
and  numberless  rare  presents.  Jordan  never  showed 
off  so  well.  The  marriage  exalted  and  transformed 
him. 

After  the  wedding,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jordan  left  for 
a  month's  visit  to  Scotland. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

FRUITION. 

The  syndicate  that  bought  the  "  Wedge  of  Gold" 
put  some  of  the  stock  on  the  market.  A  few  days 
later  another  shipment  of  bullion  was  received,  an 
other  dividend  was  declared,  and  the  stock  advanced 
to  £10  per  share.  The  happy  owners  gave  an  enter 
tainment  in  honor  of  the  mine,  and  called  it  "The 
Wedge  of  Gold  Reception."  Sedgwick  and  Browning 
with  their  wives  and  Captain  McGregor  attended. 

As  they  returned,  the  dawn  was  breaking  in  the 
East,  and  mighty  London  with  its  five  millions  of 
people  began  to  awaken.  There  were  confused  mur 
murs,  which  swelled  in  volume  every  moment  ;  these 
were  interspersed  with  distinct  clamors,  as  one  industry 
after  another  took  up  anew  its  daily  work.  Then 
there  was  the  whistle  of  trains  ;  the  deeper  calls  and 
answers  of  boats  on  the  river  ;  the  louder  and  louder 
hum  of  the  awaking-  millions,  until  with  the  coming  of 

o  o 

the  full  dawn  the  roar  of  the  swelling  hosts  became  a 
full  diapason. 

"What  a  monster  this  great  handiwork  of  man  is, 
Sedgwick,"  said  McGregor  ;  "  I  wonder  if  there  is 
anything  else  like  it  in  this  whole  world." 

"  I  guess  not,"  was  Sedgwick's  *  reply ;  "  but, 
strangely  enough,  it  reminds  me  of  something  not  at 
all  like  it,  but  which  impressed  me  quite  as  much  as 
does  this.  As  you  say,  this  is  man's  handiwork.  I 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  28l 

saw  another  dawn  once  which  had  little  in  it  save 
God's  handiwork. 

"  While  mining  in  Virginia  City,  I  determined  one 
summer  day  to  give  up  work  for  a  week  and  to  make 
a  visit  to  the  high  Sierras.  One  day's  ride  takes  you 
from  the  Comstock  into  the  very  fastnesses  of  the 
mountains.  There  were  five  of  us  in  the  party.  We 
went  to  Lake  Tahoe,  crossed  the  lake,  and  kept  on  to 
a  spring  and  stream  of  water  beyond,  a  few  miles. 
We  had  a  camping  outfit,  and  determined  to  sleep  in 
no  house  while  absent.  We  spread  our  beds  in  a 
little  grassy  glen  ;  to  the  east  there  was  no  forest, 
but  on  the  north  and  south  the  trees  were  immense, 
and  to  the  west,  a  mile  or  two  away,  the  mountains 
rose  abruptly  to  a  height  which  held  the  snows  in  their 
arms  all  the  summer  long. 

"  The  good-night  hoot  of  an  owl  or  some  other 
sound  awakened  me  just  as  the  first  streaks  of  the 
dawn  began  to  flush  the  face  of  the  east. 

"  I  sat  up,  and  while  my  friends  were  sleeping  around 
me,  I  watched  the  transformation  scene  of  that  dawn. 
There  were  not  many  birds  to  awake — our  altitude 
was  too  high  for  them — and  so  the  panorama  moved 
on  almost  in  silence.  But.it  was  the  more  impressive 
because  of  its  stillness.  The  east  grew  warmer  and 
warmer,  and  the  solemn  night  began  to  spread  her 
black  wings,  under  which  she  had  brooded  the  world, 
in  preparation  for  flight.  The  shadows  began  to 
retreat  from  where  they  had  shrouded  the  nearest 
trees.  The  air  grew  softer;  from  it  a  noiseless  breeze 
just  touched  the  great  arms  of  the  pines  as  though  to 


282  THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD. 

waken  them  and  gave  to  them  an  almost  impercept 
ible  motion.  The  stars  and  planets  began  to  faint  in 
the  heavens.  As  the  waves  of  light  increased  in  the  east, 
the  snow  on  the  high  mountains  to  the  west  took  on  the 
hue  of  the  opal,  and  when  the  last  shadow  fled  away 
and  the  sun  flashed  gloriously  above  the  eastern 
horizon,  and  another  day  was  born,  I  knew  just  how 
the  ancient  Fire  Worshipers  felt  when  they  bowed 
their  heads  in  reverence  before  the  splendors  of  the 


rising  sun." 


It  was  a  good  while  ago  that  the  events  out  of 
which  this  story  was  woven  transpired. 

Now,  at  different  seasons  of  the  year,  these  families, 
with  two  gray-haired  old  ladies  and  a  gray-haired  old 
man  with  a  sailor's  rolling  walk,  may  be  seen,  some 
times  in  London,  sometimes  on  a  fair  estate  in  Devon 
shire,  sometimes  in  a  stately  home  in  the  Miami 
Valley,  and  again  down  on  the  Brazos  in  Texas. 

Around  and  among  them  are  playing  broods  of 
little  Jacks,  Jims,  Toms,  Roses,  Graces,  and  Mar 
garets,  and  older  children  are  away  at  school.  All 
the  children  call  the  old  ladies  "  Grandma"  and  the 
gray  man  with  the  sailor's  walk  "Grand-uncle, "and  all 
who  see  them  declare  that  no  other  such  a  happy 
company  can  be  found  in  all  the  world. 

The  place  on  the  Brazos  is  superintended  by  a 
shrewd  Irishman,  while  the  village  physician,  for 
merly  a  ship  surgeon,  is  named  Craig,  and  his  wife's 
name  is  Nora;  and  the  people  there  say  there  is  not 


THE    WEDGE    OF    GOLD.  283 

in  all  Texas  another  woman  who  is  more  of  a  lady  or 
has  a  complexion  so  clear,  a  face  so  fair,  or  such  a 
wealth  of  hair,  which  in  color  is  between  flaxen  and 
gold. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 
on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

pjpks  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


LD  21A-60m-3,'65 
(F2336slO)476B 


General  Library 

Uni versiry  of  California 

Berkeley 


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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


